Only If I Knew It
by sissycus
Summary: Mystogan saves Levy's life by bringing her to Edolas. Turning back to Earth Land, will she find Gajeel alive?
1. Chapter 1

**I'm sorry**** for the grammar mistakes!**

**Disclaimer: Fairy Tail is not mine.**

**This story takes place after the events in Edolas.**

**Please enjoy!**

Chapter 1. Wendy's healing magic has no effect

Gajeel Redfox was trying to concentrate on the battle but without success.

Master Makarov had sent him and Levy MacGarden on a mission together. As he had ordered, no one else accompanied them. Jet, Droy and Pantherlily had stayed at the guild. Gajeel was wondering at the master's strange order. Why had Makarov sent only two of them? The Iron Dragon Slayer was suspecting that Mirajane and Juvia had something to do with this but he had no evidence, of course. He knew that it would be useless to ask them because they wouldn't say him anything. Anyway, he was happy because it was a good opportunity for him to spend some time with Levy.

Their mission was to destroy a haunt of dark mages and right now Gajeel was surrounded by them. Despite Levy's protests, he had ordered her to wait for him and not interfere with the battle because he was worried about her.

Gajeel shook his head. "I must think only about the fight!" he ordered to himself.

Forcing himself to concentrate, he cast his Iron Dragon's Roar. His enemies were far away from his power level and it took him only a few more minutes to finish them. He hasn't managed to take his breath yet when a sharp scream pierced the silence.

"Levy!" Gajeel thought. He hadn't had an intention to lose her from his sight but during the battle he had receded into a far distance.

He turned back and started running to the place he had left her. The scream didn't repeat but he was extremely worried.

Finally he saw Levy. The girl was lying face down on the ground and didn't move. There was no one around her.

The Iron Dragon Slayer kneeled down next to her and grabbed her ice-cold hand. He checked her pulse. Her heart was beating but its rhythm was irregular. He lifted her head up gently and noticed that her face was extremely pale and her eyes were closed. He fondled her blue hair.

Levy felt his touch but she didn't make any movement.

"How do you feel? What happened?" he asked.

Hearing his voice, she opened her eyes slowly. She felt herself totally out of energy.

"I don't know… I don't feel pain but can't move," she whispered.

"Are you injured? Has someone harmed you?" he said all in a breath.

"No one…" Levy answered.

Gajeel looked at her cautiously. There were no visible wounds on her body but it was obvious that something was wrong. She was lying like a rag-doll in his arms.

The black-haired man bit his lips. What had happened to her?

"What will I say to her team mates? How will I look them in the face?" he thought. "I promised them to look after her!"

_Flash-back_

"_You are going on a mission with Gajeel Redfox?" Jet asked._

"_That's the master's order," Levy confirmed._

"_Let me come with you," Droy suggested. "I have no other work at the moment."_

"_The master gave this job to me and her," Gajeel interfered. "Even Pantherlily_ _won't be with us. But you don't have to worry. Nothing can harm her while she is with me! I will bring her back alive and well! I give you my word."_

_Jet and Droy stared at him, and then turned to look Levy. It wasn't a secret to anyone that they didn't like the Iron Dragon Slayer. _

"_Very well," Jet said after a few seconds silence. "Take care of her, Gajeel. I'm counting on you."_

_End of flash-back_

"What should I do now?" Gajeel wondered. "I must bring her back to the guild as soon as possible! Master Makarov may know some way to help her. Besides, Wendy surely will be able to heal her with her Sky magic."

It was obvious that Levy couldn't walk so he took her in his arms extremely carefully. Trying not to think what her team mates would say when they saw her in that state, he turned his steps to Magnolia. There was no time to lose.

-ooo-

Everything in the Fairy Tail guild was as usual. Everyone was in a good mood. The only difference was that Natsu wasn't fighting with Gray because he was too busy to speak with Lisanna. The Fire Dragon Slayer was extremely happy that she had returned.

And yet there were two girls who hadn't a good mood and they were Mirajane and Juvia.

"I'm so concerned!" Mira said. Her expression was thoughtful. She was watching through the window. The sun was setting and clouds were coloured in pink and gold. The sight was really beautiful but she didn't pay attention to it. "I don't understand why Levy and Gajeel are still absent! They should be here by now! I tell you, something has happened!"

She and Juvia gave an anxiety glance to each other.

"Juvia is worried too," added the blue-haired woman.

"Don't worry, Mira-san," Lucy tried to reassure her. "I'm sure that they will arrive soon."

"My cards are telling me that they are coming this way," Cana Alberona interfered.

"Your cards always say the truth, Cana. I hope they are right this time too." Mirajane sighed.

-ooo-

As always, Cana's cards had said the truth. For Mirajane's immeasurable happiness, two hours later the door opened. Gajeel entered the guild hall carrying Levy in his arms.

"Thank goodness!" Mirajane and Juvia exclaimed in one voice but their smiles faded when they saw that Levy was not well.

Seeing the newcomers, Jet and Droy jumped on their feet and rushed towards them.

"You have finally returned! Was the mission successful?" Jet asked. "And what is wrong with her?"

"How do you feel, Levy?" Droy added.

The blue-haired girl opened her eyes with an effort. Seeing her team mates, she tried to give a smile to them but she couldn't. She sighed and closed her eyes again.

"What happened?" Mirajane asked.

Gajeel swallowed with difficulty. That was the moment he feared of. How was he going to explain Jet and Droy…? Who knows what they would say…

"Well, what will you say? For goodness' sake, tell us!" Mirajane insisted.

The Iron Dragon Slayer took a deep breath and explained in a few sentences what had happened.

"She isn't injured and yet she is not well? But how is this possible?" Lucy asked when Gajeel stopped talking. "Then what is wrong with her?"

"Oh, I knew I should have come with you…" Droy said under his breath. He clenched his teeth.

Jet didn't say anything. He just stared at Gajeel for a minute. Feeling that he couldn't stand his glance, the black-haired mage averted his eyes.

"I have promised you to turn her back save and sound," Gajeel said. It took him a supreme effort to pronounce these words. "It's my fault! I couldn't protect her!"

Mirajane took a step forward and touch his shoulder in a comforting way.

"Please Gajeel, don't blame yourself," she said in an attempt to console him. Her voice was soft as always. "Let's think what to do and how to help her. I'm sure that she will recover her health very soon."

"I'm going to heal Levy-san!" Wendy declared. "So don't worry! My Sky magic will help her feel better!"

"Thank you so much, Wendy!" Jet and Droy answered in one voice. "You are so kind!"

The Sky Dragon Slayer concentrated and cast her healing spell. A bright blue light emitted form her hands. Everyone was silent, waiting to see the effect of Wendy's magic.

The minutes were passing one after another, and nothing happened. Levy continued to lie helplessly in Gajeel's arms.

Wendy's face became pale because of the magical energy she was loosing. Finally she felt herself absolutely exhausted. The blue light faded and the girl would have fallen to the ground if Natsu hadn't held her.

Levy didn't look better.

"It seems that my healing magic hasn't any effect on her!" the Sky Dragon Slayer whispered. "But why…? I really don't understand! This is the first time when my magic doesn't help!"

Everyone looked at each other. How was that possible? Wendy's spell was unable to heal Levy? What on earth was going on? What kind of disease was that?

"What should we do?" Gray wondered.

"There is only one thing we can do. We have to ask Porlyusica-san to come and see Levy," Mirajane said. "Maybe she will be able to help her."

"But who will have enough courage to go and ask her to come here?" Happy whispered. "She hates humans, after all… She may get angry and then who knows what she can do…"

"I will go and ask her myself," Makarov said. "I'm sure she won't refuse me."

"If the Sky magic is unable to heal Levy, then she is seriously ill. I must bring Porlyusica here at every cost!" the guild master added in his mind.

**What do you think about**** the first chapter? Please let me know your opinion! **

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	2. Chapter 2

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**I managed to finish chapters 2 and 3. **

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Chapter 2. Porlyusica's opinion

The sun had already sunk below the horizon when Makarov entered the forest and approached Porlyusica's home. He slowed down his pace, thinking how to ask his old friend to come with him to the city. Lost in his thoughts, he was startled by a female voice.

"Why are you here?" the voice asked.

Raising his head, he saw the woman he was looking for. The night wind dispersed her long pink hair. Her eyes were fixed at him.

Obviously she was in no mood for conversations at the moment but he knew that there was no time to lose.

"What, aren't you happy to see me, Porlyusica? We are friends, aren't we?" Makarov asked in an attempt to predispose her but she interrupted his words.

"Just tell me what you want."

"I have come here to ask you for a favour."

"You have come to ask me for a favour? Why am I not surprised?" the old woman asked sarcastically. "You always come here when you need something! What is it this time?"

Makarov continued talking as if he hadn't heard her words: "Please come with me in the city. One of the guild members, Levy MacGarden, is seriously sick and I want you to see her. There are no visible injuries on her body but she is not well! She is so weak that she can't stand firm on her feet!"

As he had expected, Porlyusica's face darkened. "You want me to come with you in Magnolia? You know that I can't stand human's presence!"

"I know but it's really important!" he said in an imploring tone. "The Sky Dragon Slayer, Wendy, tried to heal Levy with her magic but she didn't succeed. Do you understand? That is why I'm so concerned. There in no one except for you who can help us in this situation!"

"What? What did you say? The Sky magic hadn't any effect? Did I hear right?"

Makarov nodded.

"If so, then I guess it really must be something very serious…" Porlyusica said as if she was speaking to herself. Her expression was thoughtful. After a few seconds silence she continued: "If the Sky Dragon Slayer is helpless, I probably won't be able to do something more than her."

"And yet come to see Levy," the guild master insisted.

Porlyusica looked at him up and down and sighed. "Well then, I will come. Let's go," she answered.

-ooo-

Meanwhile Levy had been placed on the bed in her room. There was no change in her state. Natsu's flames weren't enough to warm her hands up.

Jet and Droy were sitting next to her; they didn't want to leave her even for a minute. Obviously both of them were very concerned about her.

"Oh, when will the master and Porlyusica-san arrive?" Droy asked impatiently. "I hope that she will agree to come!"

"Of course she will," said Mirajane. "The master is her friend, after all. She won't refuse to do him this favour. Try to calm down, Droy," she added in a comforting tone.

Just then the door opened. Makarov and Porlyusica entered the room. The old woman cast a glance at the Fairy Tail mages and knitted her brows. She didn't want to be surrounded by so many people.

Gajeel, who was sitting in the corner, gave a sigh of relief. "They finally arrived! So everything will be okay now," he thought. He was absolutely sure that the pink-haired mage would know how to help Levy.

Without saying a word, Porlyusica went close to the bed and all Fairy Tail members drew aside to make way for her. Looking at the blue-haired girl, she sighed and bit her lips. Her face darkened. She placed her hand on Levy's forehead, and then took her cold hands in her ones.

"Look at me, girl," she ordered.

Levy opened her eyes and their glances met. For a minute they watched each other without saying anything.

Finally Porlyusica averted her eyes. Fairy Tail mages stared at her, waiting to hear what she would say but she didn't pronounce a word.

"What will you say? Is she sick? Or maybe she is enchanted?" Makarov asked impatiently. "Do you know some way to heal her?"

The pink-haired woman gave everyone a sign to go out of the room. The guild members obeyed her. Porlyusica also left the room; she cast a final glance at the lying girl and closed the door after her.

"So, what is your opinion for Levy's state?" the master asked again. "What is going on with her?"

"It isn't a common sickness. She has lost her magical power, there is no doubt about it," the old woman answered. "I don't know how could it happen but it is a fact. That is why the Sky magic can't help her."

"Is there something else, Porlyusica-san?" Mirajane asked.

"There is nothing else but that's more than enough, I fear."

"M-More than enough? What do you mean?" Makarov's expression was terrified. "You… you can help her, right?"

Porlyusica looked angrily at him. "You old fool! Do you think that I can make miracles? I told you, this girl has lost her magical powers. You know that the magical power is equal to wizard's life." She made a pause. "Is it necessary for me to explain any more? Don't you understand what I'm saying?"

Everyone looked at each other in horror. They didn't want to believe what they heard.

"So this means…" Jet couldn't finish his words. He swallowed with difficulty.

"Say farewell to her. That's the only thing you can do," Porlyusica answered. Her tone was cold and strained. "And I advise you to hurry up. Levy doesn't have much time to live. I'm afraid that she won't be alive to see the sunrise tomorrow morning."

**Review please****, please, please!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Please enjoy**** yourself!**

Chapter 3. During the night

Porlyusica's words were like a bolt from the blue for the Fairy Tail members. At the first moment no one could find words to answer her. Even Natsu had lost his ability to speak. Happy stared at the old woman and his eyes were widened in shock.

As for Jet and Droy, they just couldn't take breath. They didn't believe their ears.

But nobody was more terrified than Gajeel. His heart stopped beating and his face became as white as ashes.

"It can't be! It just can't be! I definitely didn't hear right!" he thought. "Levy can't die!"

Was it some kind of a joke? But no, Porlyusica was absolutely serious.

There was dead silence for a few seconds.

"What… What did you say? She is going to die? And so soon?" Makarov asked when he managed to get his breath. "She won't outlive the night?"

"Unfortunately, that's the truth itself," Porlyusica replied.

"And nothing can save her life?"

"Nothing." The pink-haired woman's answer was categorical.

"That is just not possible!" Jet whispered.

"What will we do without her?" Bixlow asked in a desperate tone. He still didn't believe his ears. There was no trace of his ever-presented smile. If his face wasn't hidden, the others would see tears in his eyes.

No one answered him. Even his dolls didn't repeat his words as usual.

-ooo-

Predictably, after Porlyusica's leaving nobody of the guild members was in a mood for talking. Lucy and Wendy just couldn't stop crying. Even Natsu was silent and depressed.

Jet and Droy locked themselves in their rooms. They were just crushed with grief and didn't want to speak with anyone. The others knew that Levy's team mates were very attached to her. Her death would be a grievous loss for them and it would be better for them to be alone at that moment. They would need some time to get over that sorrow.

Gajeel also entered his room and locked the door. He refused even Pantherlily's company. He was no less broken-hearted than the male members of the Shadow Gear team and really needed to be alone. He needed some time to collect his thoughts.

It was his entire fault. He had promised to bring her back save and sound… and the result was that she was dying.

_She was dying_… Even the thought was unbearable for him. It seemed to him that he was dreaming, and that everything was a nightmare. It was too terrible to be real.

Gajeel knew that he should be besides her. He should bid farewell to her… and something more, that night was his only chance to tell her his feelings for her. But he just couldn't do it. He couldn't stand to watch her death. That was more than he could bear.

His heart was bleeding.

He pressed his hands against his temples. It seemed to him that his head was about to burst.

Porlyusica's words echoed in his head: "Levy doesn't have much time to live. I'm afraid that she won't be alive to see the sunrise tomorrow morning."

"Oh, if it was possible the morning never to come!" he thought desperately. "I want this night to continue forever!"

-ooo-

Unfortunately, time didn't obey Gajeel's wish and continued flying. The morning was near; it was three o'clock after midnight when Levy woke up. She tried to raise her head but without success. The girl didn't feel any pain but she was so weak that she couldn't command her own body. She was covered with a blanket and yet she felt an unbearable coldness.

Mirajane and Lucy were sitting next to her. Both of them were asleep. That was strange… at least one of them should be awake.

And then she saw a dark silhouette standing in front of the bed. It looked like a phantom in the darkness. She was not alone; there was someone else in the room.

At the first moment she thought that it was one of her team mates.

"Jet?" Levy whispered. "Is this you?"

There was no answer. The human figure was stone-still and silent like a sculpture.

"Droy?" she managed to pronounce. "Gajeel?"

"I'm here to help you, Levy. I'm the only one who can do it," a male voice said. That voice was absolutely unknown to her; she has never heard it before. And yet he had called her name. It meant that he knew her.

"Who are you?" the blue-haired girl asked. She was sized with uncontrollable fear when she realized that there was an unknown man in her room. How had he managed to creep in there?

Levy peered into the darkness but it was impossible for her to see him clearly. She only noticed that he was wearing a cloak.

"Don't be afraid. Believe me, I have no purpose to harm you," the man answered in a calm tone. "I want to save your life, Levy. But in order to do that, I must take you with me. This is the only way for you to live. Do you agree? Answer me quickly; there is no time to lose. The night and your life are at their end."

Without waiting for her consent, he took a step forward and grabbed her cold hands. It seemed to her that she saw the shine of his eyes. Who knows why, his touch made her creep. The scared girl had lost her ability to think logically. There was one and only thought in her mind – she didn't want to go anywhere. Levy made an effort to cry out for help (just one scream would probably be enough to wake Mira and Lucy up) but not a sound escaped her lips. The unknown man took her in his arms without any effort and her head sank on his shoulder. Totally out of energy, she wasn't able to put up any resistance. She was helpless like a little child.

Levy cast a last glance at Mirajane and Lucy. They didn't move; obviously they hadn't heard anything.

"Gajeel, where are you to save me?" she thought desperately. She wanted to scream these words but she couldn't.

"Don't be afraid of me," the man whispered in her ear. That was the last thing she heard before losing consciousness.

**What do you think about this chapter? Review please!**


	4. Chapter 4

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Chapter 4. Disappeared without a trace

A few minutes later Mirajane woke up. It took a great effort to her to raise her head. Her vision cleared up bit by bit … and then she noticed the empty bed.

For a second she just stared at it. Realizing that the dying girl was not there, she was seized with fear and her face became as white as her hair.

"Wake up, Lucy! Levy is disappeared! There is no trace of her!" she yelled as loud as she could.

Her shriek not only woke up Lucy but also startled the entire guild. Many of the mages weren't sleeping; hearing the yell, they immediately left their rooms and ran to see what was going on.

The Celestial Spirit mage jumped on her feet. Her expression was terrified.

"What do you mean, Mira-san?" Lucy asked. She was still half-asleep.

Mirajane couldn't answer; she just pointed at the empty bed.

Before Lucy could ask "How is this possible?" the door opened and Erza rushed into the room. She was dressed in her armour as usual and was holding a sword in her hand.

"What is going on here? I heard a scream…" the red-haired mage said. She hadn't finished her question when the other guild members appeared (with Levy's team mates and Gajeel at the head). Some of them were wearing dressing-downs but the most of them were fully dressed.

"Levy is disappeared!" Mirajane and Lucy exclaimed in one voice.

"What?" Jet and Droy exclaimed in one voice. That was the only word they could say.

"But how…?" Gajeel managed to pronounce.

"By heaven, I don't know. I… I must confess that I was asleep for a minute. When I woke up, I saw that she wasn't here!" Mirajane explained.

"It seems that she has left the guild!" Lucy stated. Her voice was trembling.

"That's impossible! Just think! Levy was so exhausted that she wasn't able to stand firm on her feet, not to speak about walking! How could she get out of the bed?" Erza asked.

The others stared at her.

"You are absolutely right, Erza," Fried said after a few seconds silence. "But then… What had happened? I don't understand…"

"I'm afraid that there is only one explanation. Someone had entered the guild and kidnapped her," Titania declared. "In my opinion, it can't be anything else."

Everyone looked at each other. There was logic in Erza's words.

"Kidnapped?" Mirajane whispered in horror.

"But who could do it?" Cana wondered.

"That's very strange…" Gray muttered.

"Listen to me, let's split on groups and search around for her!" Natsu suggested. "If it happened just minutes ago, she couldn't be far away! Maybe she is still in Magnolia!"

"Well, let's search for her but I'm afraid that it will be a waste of time…" Erza said under her breath.

-ooo-

Everyone scattered in all directions. Just as Erza had predicted, all their attempts to find Levy were fruitless. There was no trace of her and her supposed ravisher.

When the sun rose, Fairy Tail mages began to return to the guild one by one. They were totally discouraged. The bright summer morning was in contrast with the chaos in their minds.

There was the same question in everyone's mind. Who had kidnapped the dying girl? Was it a friend or a foe? And more importantly, what was his (or her) reason to do it?

"Most probably she has been kidnapped by a member of a dark guild," Makarov said.

Mirajane couldn't stop crying. She felt herself guilty for Levy's disappearing. She was so upset that she couldn't even do her usual work.

"It's my fault… I shouldn't sleep even for a second! How could this happen? Who knows where Levy is now!" Mirajane whispered. Her tears streamed down her cheeks. She buried her face in her hands.

Fried folded her in his arms in an attempt to console her.

"It's not only your fault, Mira-san. I also fell asleep, after all!" Lucy said. "I'm so sorry!" she added, turning to look Jet and Droy.

"What will we do now?" Jet asked.

Nobody answered him. All people in the hall were asking themselves the same question.

Fairy Tail members were absolutely sure that Levy had died already. There was no way for her to be alive. Porlyusica had said that she wouldn't outlive the fatal night.

At the same moment the door opened. Natsu, Gray and Happy entered the guild hall.

"Did you find something, boys?" Erza asked.

"Nothing… It seems that Levy is just vanished from the face of the earth!" Natsu answered. And the Fire Dragon Slayer didn't know himself how true his words were.

"Aye…" Happy added.

Gray didn't say anything, only sighed.

Gajeel seat himself in the nearest chair and ran his fingers through his long black hair.

"That's a nightmare! It can't be anything else! Oh, I want to wake up already!" the Iron Dragon Slayer thought desperately.

It seemed to him that his entire world had crushed. Tears rose in his eyes and it took him a supreme effort to force them back. He tried to hide his emotions but everyone guessed what was going on with him.

-ooo-

_At the same time…_

Levy woke up and found that she was lying on a bed. She was still exhausted but now she didn't feel such an unbearable coldness. Definitely she was better than earlier.

"How long had I slept?" she wondered. "Well, it doesn't matter, I'm better now!" Her only wish at the moment was to see her team mates… and Gajeel. The thought about them made her smile.

But when she opened her eyes, her smile faded and her heart stopped beating. The girl cast a glance around and her eyes widened in shock.

"Is this a dream? It seems so…" Levy said to herself. "Or maybe I have hallucinations?"

She definitely wasn't at the guild. There was no trace of Mirajane and Lucy who should be besides her. The room she was lying in was much bigger than her one. The sun was raising and the entire room was bathed in bright light.

Then she remembered what had happened during the night. An unknown man had appeared in her room and had taken her with him despite her attempts to put some resistance. His words echoed in her head: "I want to save your life, Levy. But in order to do that, I must take you with me. This is the only way for you to live."

Obviously he had brought her here. But where was that "here"? What on earth was that place?

"I see that you are awake," a male voice said. Levy recognized it immediately. It was the same voice she had heard during the night.

**I will be very grateful if you send me a review! (I just want to know if someone is enjoying this story. Of course, I don't expect only positive reviews. If you don't like something, please don't hesitate to tell me.)**

**Do you think that I should make this story a tra****gedy? Or maybe I should think up a happy end for it? Please tell me what you prefer. I will respect your wish. **


	5. Chapter 5

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Chapter 5. Levy's astonishment

"I see that you are awake," a male voice said. Levy recognized it immediately. It was the same voice she had heard during the night.

Turning her head back, she saw a man standing behind her.

The girl looked him up and down but his appearance was absolutely unknown to her. She has never seen him before. His hair's colour resembled that of her hair. His dark eyes were fixed at her.

What really impressed her was a tattoo on the right side of his face.

The man took a few steps towards her and she instinctively tried to draw aside.

"Don't be afraid of me, Levy. I won't do you any harm," he said. His voice was soft and predisposing.

"Did you bring me here?" she asked.

"Well, in fact I nearly kidnapped you. I apologize for this. I probably frightened you but I had no other choice. There was no time for long explanations because you were dying!" the blue-haired man declared.

"But where am I? And who are you? How do you know my name? I don't remember having seen you before!"

"My name is Jellal and I know you because we were members of the same guild."

"What? Me and you were members of the same guild, you say?" Levy didn't understand anything. "That's impossible! I have never seen you! And I have never heard of a Fairy Tail member called Jellal."

He gave a smile to her. "That's right, you haven't seen me. You haven't heard about Jellal but you have definitely heard about Mystogan, right?"

That was so unexpected and incredible that Levy just stared at him with astonishment. Did she hear right? That guy proclaimed himself to be Mystogan? Was he kidding with her? She had never thought that such a thing could happen to her. She didn't know how to answer.

"What did you say?" she asked finally. "You are… you are Mystogan? Is this some kind of a joke?"

"I told you the truth itself. Don't you believe me? Do you remember that Mirajane and Lucy were asleep last night? I put them to sleep in order to take you with me without they see me."

Levy had lost her ability to speak; she could only watch him in silent amazement.

"And right now you are in my kingdom, Edolas. More preciously, this is my royal palace and you are in my room," the blue-haired man continued.

That was far too much. Levy had expected to hear anything but that. So she was in the parallel world…?

"Edolas?" she repeated unconsciously.

Seeing her stunned expression, Jellal decided that it would be better to explain her everything.

"I will say you why you are here. First you must know that your magical powers had been taken away from you."

"Taken away? But how…?" Levy whispered.

"I don't know but it happened somehow," the man answered. "You were dying because in Earth Land the wizard's life is bounded with his magical power. Do you understand?"

She nodded.

"In order to save you, I had to recollect your powers but it was impossible for me to do it immediately. So I had no choice but to take you with me in Edolas. In this world your life doesn't depend on your magical power. That is why I brought you here. It was the only way to keep you alive."

"And now… What will happen to me? Must I stay here forever?" Levy asked and swallowed with difficulty. "Goodness! Does it mean that I will never see my team mates again? And Gajeel…?" She was so terrified that she even forgot to thank him for saving her life.

A smile formed on Jellal's lips again. "No, no. Don't worry, you will return to Earth Land but first I must recollect your powers. It will take me a few days to do it."

"A few days…?" the girl asked.

"Being the king of this world, I have many duties here and I don't have free time during the day. In order to recollect your magical powers, I must go to Earth Land which is possible for me only during the night. That is why it will take a few days."

"I see," she whispered.

"In the meantime you must remain here," he continued. "After that I will bring you back in Earth Land. You will see your team mates and Gajeel soon."

Levy's face blushed when he mentioned Gajeel's name but he didn't pay attention to that.

At the same moment someone knocked on the door.

"Your majesty? Are you speaking with somebody?" a female voice asked. And it resembled so much Erza Scarlet's voice that its sound made Levy creep.

"Of course not," Jellal answered in a loud tone. "Why are you here, Erza Knightwalker?"

"I have come to inform you that the members of the royal council are already here. They are waiting for you, your majesty."

"Tell them that I'm coming in a minute," Jellal replied. He looked at Levy and continued talking to her below his breath: "I must go now. I have my duties as a king. Don't get out of this room. Nobody must know that you are here!"

"If someone finds out that I'm helping an Earth Land human, both of us will be in trouble," he thought.

"_Nobody_ must know that you are here!" the man repeated. His tone was serious. "Did you understand, Levy? It's for your own good!"

The blue-haired girl nodded obediently.

"Try to get some more sleep, you really need it," Jellal added and left the room.

**I decided to include Mystogan in the story. Do you like the plot this way? ****Review please, please, please!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Thanks for the reviews! **

**Here is the next chapter. Please enjoy!**

Chapter 6. Such a bad luck

As it was to be expected, during the next three days the situation in the Fairy Tail guild was becoming worse and worse. The entire guild was in mourning for Levy MacGarden.

Mirajane's nerves hadn't soothed yet. She didn't stop blaming herself for Levy's disappearing.

"I shouldn't sleep ever for a second!" she repeated over and over again. "How could I do it? How could I? If I had been awake, anyone who wanted to kidnap Levy would have faced the Demon first!"

If she knew that she had fallen asleep due to Mystogan's magic, she would probably not take it so much to her heart. But she didn't know it, of course.

Elfman and Lisanna were very concerned about their big sister. They wondered what to do and how to console her.

Seeing Mira's desperation, Fried Justine was around her all the time and tried to comfort her in all possible ways. It made his heart bleed to see her in such state.

"Please calm down, Mirajane," the captain of the Raijinshuu repeated. "Don't torture yourself! Don't you see that your suffering is mine as well? If you don't feel sorry for yourself, then have a mercy on me!"

Lucy was in the same state as Mirajane. She couldn't stop crying. Even Loke's attempts to console her were fruitless.

"If the things continue this way, Lucy will become ill, I fear," Erza said. "And that's the last thing we need at the moment!"

"You are right, Erza. But what can we do?" Gray asked.

Natsu and Happy didn't say anything but they were no less worried.

As for Levy's team mates, they were out of their reason.

"What will we do without our team leader? How will our team continue to exist without her?" Jet and Droy asked each other. They were just prostrate with grief.

But nobody was worse than Gajeel Redfox. He didn't shed a single tear but no one was suffering more than him. His desperation had given way to the rage. He refused to talk even with Juvia and Pantherlily. The rain woman and the cat were really concerned about him but when they tried to speak with him the only answer they got was his furious shout: "Get out of my sight and leave me alone!" His expression was so fierce that the other Fairy Tail members didn't dare even come close to him.

"Juvia is afraid that Gajeel isn't in his right mind!" the rain woman said. "Juvia has never seen him in such state!"

"Levy's death will be his undoing," Cana whispered.

"Whoever has kidnapped Levy, I don't want to be in his place if he falls into Gajeel's hands!" Pantherlily thought.

The truth was that Gajeel's heart was broken. He hadn't been so desperate even when his foster father, Metalicana, had disappeared without a trace. He missed the Iron Dragon (despite he never confessed it in conversation with other people) but it was nothing in comparison with his grief for Levy MacGarden.

A part of him still refused to believe the terrible reality. Levy was dead, she was no more… He would never see her again. He would never be able to tell her his true feelings for her.

"I should tell her when I got a chance!" he thought. "Why didn't I do it? Why? What stopped me?"

And now she was dead. The worst thing was that he was denied even the comfort to bury her body and to know where her grave was.

-ooo-

It was the third night after Levy's disappearing. It was three o'clock after midnight but Gajeel couldn't get to sleep. He paced nervously up and down the room.

The Iron Dragon Slayer couldn't stand this situation any longer. It was unbearable for him to remain at the guild. Everything reminded him for Levy and that tortured him to the point of insanity. Besides, he couldn't stand to watch Jet and Droy.

All kind sides of his personality had disappeared. Even his friendship with Pantherlily and Juvia was dead. Only his anger continued to live inside his soul – anger against himself and all people around him. It seemed to him that he already hated the entire world.

His life had only one meaning from now on. He wanted to find the person who had kidnapped Levy. Oh, he would find him at every cost, even if it meant to search all dirk guilds! And then he would make him regret bitterly about this.

Nothing else had importance for him.

"There is only one thing I can do. I must leave this guild and Magnolia right now," Gajeel decided. "I shouldn't stay here any more!"

When he took that decision, he felt himself a little bit better for a second. Without losing any time, he started preparing his baggage. He didn't even think to bid farewell to any of his guild mates; he just wrote a few words to a list of paper and placed it onto his bed.

When he was ready, he went out of his room noiselessly and left the guild without anyone sees him. He walked away and didn't turn to look back.

-ooo-

_At the same time in Edolas…_

Despite the late hour Levy wasn't sleeping. With widely open eyes, she was lying on the bed and was waiting for the morning. The night seemed to be endless.

There was a dead silence in the room. She was alone; Jellal wasn't there at the moment. He had gone to Earth Land, just as he had done the last two nights.

She was still wondering why he was helping her. That was something unexplainable for her. Mystogan was no longer a Fairy Tail member; it wasn't his duty to take care about the well-being of the guild members. He had to think only about his kingdom. And yet he had saved her life. Why? She didn't dare ask him.

Levy knew that she should be grateful to him because she wouldn't be alive without his interference. But her gratefulness was mixed with some kind of fear. Knowing that he was Mystogan, she was filled with awe to him.

The girl had already spent three days in Edolas. She had used with the thought that she was in the parallel world but she felt herself too lonely. Nobody should know that she was there, so she didn't left the room. She could speak only with Jellal. But he was too busy with his royal duties and she didn't see him during the day. And night time he went to Earth Land and she remained alone again. Besides, even when he was in his room, he wasn't in a mood for talking. It didn't surprise her. Mystogan's unsociability had passed into a proverb.

He had asked her only one question about Fairy Tail. He wanted to know what was going on with Pantherlily and obviously was happy to hear that the cat was alive and well.

The girl knew that she would return to her world soon. Jellal had told her that it would take him just one more night to recollect all her magical powers. That thought was comforting for her. She had no patience to see her friends, her team mates and especially Gajeel Redfox.

"Who knows what is going on at the guild now? Well, it's not so difficult to imagine… Everyone probably considers me to be dead," she said to herself and sighed. That thought was unbearable for her. "Jet and Droy are crushed with grief for sure. And Gajeel…" Levy sighed and buried her face in the pillow.

If she knew that at the same moment Gajeel was leaving the Fairy Tail guild, her heart would be broken.

She wanted so desperately to see the Iron Dragon Slayer! But that was impossible. She had no choice but to wait.

"Patience," the blue-haired girl commanded to herself. "I must be patient. I will see them soon."

Just then the door opened. Levy raised her head.

"Jellal has returned!" she thought and prepared to greet him. But at the next moment her words stuck in her throat. She heard something that made her tremble.

-ooo-

Approaching his room, Jellal took his mask and hat off, ran his fingers through his blue hair and took a deep breath.

He looked at himself and a smile formed on his lips. His black cloak enveloped his body, heavy clothes and bandages covered his skin. It was so pleasant for him to be dressed as Mystogan again. Despite not being a Fairy Tail member any longer, he had kept his costume. And now he had a cause to use it again. These clothes invoked so many memories to him… Memories from the years spent in Earth Land…

His work was near completion. Just one more night and he would recollect all of Levy's powers. Then he would bring her back in Earth Land as he had promised her. He knew how much she wanted to see her team mates… and Gajeel Redfox.

Of course, he would ask her to keep a secret about her stay in Edolas. He had a reason to do it. He had officially left the Fairy Tail guild and didn't want anyone to know that he had helped Levy.

Now he needed to get some sleep. He was so tired… And he had a lot of work in the morning. His duties as a king were endless. Sometimes he thought that it was much easier for him when he was a Fairy Tail mage.

The blue-haired man opened the door and was about to enter his room when he heard a weak sound of approaching steps and realized that he was not alone. There was someone else here. Someone had seen him! Oh, it was such a bad luck!

"Who doesn't sleep at this time?" Jellal thought. At the next second he got the answer of his silent question.

"Well, well, what do I see? Who is it? My royal master? This is so unexpected…" a female voice said behind him. Jellal recognized Erza Knightwalker's voice. Her tone was cold and strained. "May I ask where have you been in the middle of the night, your majesty?"

**Please let me know your opinion for this chapter. Does it need any improvement? Review please, please, please! **


	7. Chapter 7

**Thanks for the reviews!**

**To answer your questions, narutofan1091: There isn't a special reason for Mystogan to save Levy. He is an extremely positive character so he won't let her die, even thought he is not a Fairy Tail member any longer. You will find the answers of your other questions in the next chapters. (As for the grammar mistakes, I'm sorry! English is not my native language.)**

**To advisory177: Mystogan can still use his magic in this story. **

**Please enjoy!**

Chapter 7. Levy's promise

"Oh, no! Anyone but her!" Jellal thought. He bit his lips. "Why doesn't she sleep?"

Turning back, he saw Erza Knightwalker. Yes, it was no one but her. She was standing in the middle of the corridor. Despite the late hour, she was fully dressed and was holding a sword in her hand. Her red hair surrounded her face. Even in the semi-darkness he noticed how pale that face was. She looked him up and down and her eyes sparkled with anger. Jellal knew that glance very well. It promised nothing good.

An idea flashed across his mind to use his sleeping magic over her but at the next moment he discarded it. It would only make the situation worse.

"I must calm down," he ordered to himself. He closed his eyes for a second and took a deep breath. "I shouldn't look nervous! She doesn't know where I was, after all!"

Erza Knightwalker took a step forward. Her fingers tightened around the hilt of her sword. Obviously she wanted very much to use it.

"Well, what will you say, your majesty? I'm waiting to hear your explanation! Aren't you supposed to be in your room at this time?" she asked in a threatening tone. "Where have you been?"

Jellal was thinking what he should do in that situation. "It is beyond any doubt that she will attack me without hesitation if my answer doesn't satisfy her," he said in his mind. "And the last thing I need right now is a battle with her."

"Isn't it a king's right to go round his palace any time he wants, even during the night?" the blue-haired man asked with all dignity he could show at the moment.

Erza didn't look convinced. "Is it so?" she said through clenched teeth. "And what are these strange clothes of yours?"

She pointed at his cloak, and then at his magical staff that he was holding in his hand.

"That's none of your business, Erza Knightwalker," he answered, making an effort his voice to sound cold and indifferent. "I think I'm the king here and not you. Am I right?"

The woman gnashed her teeth but didn't say anything. Her sixth sense told her that there was something strange here... She was sure about it. But what was it? What?

"I think that you are hiding something, your majesty," she said. Her eyes were boring into him.

"That's only your imagination. I require you to leave, Erza. And immediately!" he commanded her.

There was no answer. She continued staying immovably as if she hadn't heard his words. For a few seconds they just stared at each other.

"Did you hear what I ordered you?" Jellal asked. "Or I need to repeat?"

Erza cast a murderous glance at him but didn't dare disobey him.

"Very well, I take my leave. But it will be better for you to be careful, your majesty. You may pay a high price for your midnight walks! If I find out that you are doing something wrong, you will regret bitterly about it, I assure you!" Without waiting to hear his answer, the red-haired woman turned and walked away from him.

Jellal followed her with his eyes. When she disappeared in the dark corridor, he gave a sigh of relief.

"Oh, that was close… She definitely suspects something. I must be extremely careful tomorrow night!" he thought, entered his room and closed the door.

-ooo-

Levy was hearing the conversation between the king and Erza Knightwalker and cold sweat was streaming down her face. Tucked herself up in the bed, she didn't dare take breathe. Just then she realized what a great risk Jellal had taken for her sake.

"If someone sees me or learns the truth about his midnight visits to Earth Land, Edolas people will consider their king to be a traitor and he will lose his throne… and maybe his life too!" she thought.

She finally heard Erza's steps moving away. At the next moment Jellal entered the room.

Approaching Levy's bed, he noticed that she was awake. Her face was extremely pale and her eyes were wide open. She was trembling like an aspen leaf.

"Aren't you sleeping? What is wrong? You don't look well!" he said.

"Has Erza Knightwalker really gone?" Levy yelled. She wanted to say something more but she couldn't because Jellal pressed his hand against her lips.

"Don't yell! Please be quiet or someone may hear you!" he said. "And that is the last thing we need at the moment!"

Levy realized that he was right and nodded. He removed his hand.

"I'm so sorry…" she whispered. "Please forgive me. I was so scared… I heard your conversation…"

"Don't worry, Erza is gone. And she doesn't know that you are here."

He didn't want to trouble her any more so he didn't pronounce his thought: "If Erza Knightwalker knew that Levy is here, she would probably kill her."

"But you are taking a great risk because of me!" the blue-haired girl told him. She didn't want to say it but these words escaped her lips. "It may be dangerous for you if someone finds out that you are helping me…"

"Don't think about this, everything will be okay. Erza Knightwalker doesn't know what is going on. Nothing will happen to me. I know what I'm doing. If you really want to return my favour, promise me something," Jellal said.

"Anything you want."

"Promise me that nobody will learn about your stay here. Don't tell anyone that I saved your life. Did you understand? Don't tell even your team mates and master Makarov!"

Levy didn't expect such a request. For a second she just stared at the man.

"What will you say? Do I have your word?" Jellal asked.

"Of course," she replied. "If this is your wish, nobody will learn that you saved me."

A trace of smile appeared on his lips. "Thank you, Levy. I'm counting on your word. Now calm down and try to get some sleep," he said in a comforting tone.

"It is impossible for me to sleep after the conversation I heard!" the girl said and these words were the truth itself. She was still trembling.

"Impossible, you say? Well, I will make it possible," Jellal answered. Before she could ask what his words meant, he touched her with his magical staff and almost immediately she felt an irresistible wish to sleep.

"It is his magic… It can't be anything else," she thought. Her eyes closed and she fell into a deep sleep.

-ooo-

Erza Knightwalker's nerves weren't soothed yet. She wasn't far away from Jellal's room. With her sword in her hand, she was walking nervously across the dark corridor. Her beautiful face was convulsed with anger.

Then she stopped short. It seemed to her that she had heard a yell from the king's room. And it was a female voice; there was no doubt about it. Erza pricked up her ears but the yell didn't repeat.

"Something unusual is going on here… Well, whatever it is, I will find it out at every cost!" Knightwalker vowed. "Maybe his majesty is hiding someone in his room? Yes, maybe that's the explanation… What should I do?"

At the next moment a satisfied smile formed on her lips.

"I know. I will search his room in the morning. Yes, I will definitely do it… And woe to the king if I find someone who shouldn't be there!"

**As you see, the relations between Mystogan and Erza Knightwalker a****ren't romantic. Do you like the story this way?**

**I will be very grateful if you send me a review! **

**(Also, if you have any suggestions, please let me know!)**


	8. Chapter 8

**Thanks for the review!**

**To Erilys: You will find the answer of your question in this chapter.**

**Please enjoy!**

Chapter 8. The missing Dragon Slayer

_In the next morning (in Earth Land)_

"Gajeel?" Juvia asked timidly. She was standing in front of his door. The master had sent her to bring the black-haired Dragon Slayer to the guild hall because he wanted to speak with him. Despite her fear, she had obeyed him.

The blue-haired woman knocked on the door.

"Gajeel?" she repeated. Her voice was trembling. "Do you hear Juvia? Master Makarov wants to speak with you! He sent Juvia to call you! Please go out!"

No one answered her.

"Maybe he is still sleeping?" she wondered. That was strange… It was passing 10 a.m. o'clock. Gajeel was usually awake at that time.

Then she dared press the door handle. To her surprise, the door was not locked. She opened it and stopped for a second on a doorway.

The room was empty. Juvia took a step forward and cast a glance around her. Yes, there was no mistake; the Iron Dragon Slayer definitely wasn't there.

"Where is he?" she thought.

Then she noticed the list of paper placed onto his bed. She hesitated for a second, then took it and recognized Gajeel's handwriting immediately. She started reading but she hasn't read even the half of the text when gave a cry out and ran to the guild hall.

"Master, Gajeel isn't in his room!" she yelled as loud as she could. "He has left the guild!"

That was so unexpected that everyone turned to look at her. They didn't believe their ears. Mirajane, who was just preparing Makarov's coffee, dropped the cup she held and it broke with a crash. The hot coffee spilled over the floor and splashed over her pink dress but she didn't even notice it.

"What?" Pantherlily exclaimed.

"What did you say, Juvia?" Erza asked. "How do you know this?"

"He has left the guild?" Makarov wondered. "Are you sure? Then where is he?"

"Juvia doesn't know. She found this letter in his room!"

The guild master took the list of paper from her hand and started reading in a loud voice: _"I'm leaving the guild because nothing keeps me here anymore. I must find Levy's ravisher and when I do, he will regret about kidnapping her. Farewell."_

When the master finished reading, silence fell over the hall.

The letter wasn't signed but its style was typical for the Iron Dragon Slayer. It was beyond any doubt that he had written it.

"Poor Gajeel…" Mirajane whispered. "Levy's death and especially her disappearing just crushed him. And the worst thing is that it's my fault…" Tears rose in her eyes. Fried hurried up to fold her in his arms.

"Oh, Gajeel really isn't in his right mind!" Juvia said. "Juvia's fears were just! What will we do now?"

"That iron idiot! How could he just get out of the guild during the night? Who will I fight with now?" Natsu exclaimed.

"Am I not enough for you?" Gray asked sarcastically.

Makarov didn't listen to them. The letter fell from his hands. He bit his lips.

"What should we do, master?" Erza asked. "Gajeel is out of his reason these days. We all know it. It's dangerous for him to be alone! Who knows what he can do… Maybe we should try to find him and persuade him to come back?"

"That's right! And if he doesn't agree, we can bring him back by force!" Natsu declared. "It will be a good fight! I'm all fired up…"

He stopped talking when he noticed Erza's threatening glance.

"Enough! It's not time for such jokes, Natsu! The situation is serious!" the red-haired mage said. "So, what will you say, master?" she added, turning to look the old man.

Makarov remained silent for a minute. He was thinking what would be the best…

"Under the circumstances, it will be a mistake to bring him back against his will," he answered finally. "So leave him. Maybe he really needs to be alone now… If we force him to come back, the situation will become even worse."

"But, master…" Juvia and Pantherlily started in one voice but Erza gave them a sign to shut up.

"Master knows best," Titania said curtly. "We will leave Gajeel."

-ooo-

At this time Gajeel was already far away from Magnolia.

He was walking without a determined direction. His thoughts were in chaos. He knew only one thing for sure: he was suffering as never before and was hungry for revenge. He had to find the person who had kidnapped Levy.

Gajeel avoided the busy ways. He didn't want to pass through the cities because even the thought about human presence around him was unbearable for him. (He was wondering if Porlyusica had the same feeling. Most probably, yes, although he didn't know what her reason to hate humans was.)

-ooo-

_At the same time in Edolas…_

Knowing that the king was on a meeting with his council, Erza Knightwalker approached his room.

Her heart was beating faster than usual. She knew that she was taking a great risk. In accordance with the court ceremonial, the king's room was never locked but no one could go into it without his majesty's permission. She was about to break the etiquette rules and she should be punished for it.

"Well, if I find someone here, my entrance in his room will be acquitted. And if not… Well, nobody will learn about this."

Erza took a deep breath and entered the room. The first thing she saw was a human figure standing near to the window.

A satisfied smile formed on Erza's lips. "Just as I thought… I knew the king is doing something wrong! Now he fell into my hands… I'm going to show the Edolas people what a king they have!" she said to herself.

Lost in her thoughts, Levy didn't hear the weak sound of approaching steps. She was thinking about her conversation with Jellal an hour ago.

_Flash-back_

_Levy's curiosity took an upper hand and she decided to ask Jellal something she didn't dare speak about until that moment._

"_May I ask you how did you learn about my sickness?"_

"_It wasn't a sickness," he corrected her. "If you want to know how I learned, I will tell you. I heard a conversation between master Makarov and Porlyusica-san. Luckily, I had time to bring you here."_

_She hesitated for a second, and her second question escaped her lips._

"_But why… why did you decide to help me? Please tell me because I don't understand…"_

_He just stared at her with a smile and didn't say anything._

_End of flash-back_

"Why he helped me? Why?" Levy asked herself over and over again.

Trying to walk as noiselessly as she could, Erza went close to Levy.

"So my supposition was right… My ears didn't mislead me last night! It was your scream that I heard!" she whispered.

The girl jumped as if she had got an electric shock. Turning her head back, she saw the red-haired woman with a sword in her hand.

Levy recognized her immediately because she was the very image of Erza Scarlet. Her eyes widened in shock. The sight sent cold shivers down her back.

"It's Erza Knightwalker! It can't be anyone else!" she thought. "Oh, no! Why is she here?" She tried to yell but her voice faded in her throat. Then she made an effort to draw aside but it was also impossible for her. Her body refused to obey her will. Unable to move, she just stared at Erza.

Knightwalker's expression was so fierce that it could frighten a braver heart than Levy's. Her eyes sparkled. She felt an overmastering desire to deal with the girl immediately but there was something she should do before that.

"You are coming with me! We are going to see the king right now! I must tell him a few words!" Erza said through clenched teeth. She grabbed Levy's blue locks and strained them ruthlessly. The girl cried out in pain and fell to her knees.

-ooo-

Jellal was sitting on his throne surrounded by the members of the royal council.

He was just preparing to make a speech when a piercing scream broke the silence. Startled by the shriek, everyone raised their heads.

"What is this?" the blue-haired man asked.

At the next second the door opened with a crash. Erza Knightwalker entered the hall with a victorious smile on her face, dragging Levy by her hair. The girl was screaming and something more, she was nearly crying. She was trying to release herself from Erza's hand but without success.

Speechless, the members of the royal council stared at them in shock. They didn't understand what was going on.

Jellal's heart stopped beating.

**Review please! **

**(Please tell me what you think of this story, should I continue writing it or not. Please…)**


	9. Chapter 9

**Thanks for the review! (It gave me courage to continue with this story!)**

**Please enjoy!**

Chapter 9. A dangerous situation

The king of Edolas wasn't a man who loses his self-control easily but now cold shivers ran through his body and his eyes widened in shock. It took him a supreme effort to suppress his yell.

"Oh, no! Anything but that! Erza has caught Levy! How could this happen?" he said to himself. Another scream of the blue-haired girl made him creep and he bit his lips.

"What is wrong, my king? You don't look well! Are you scared?" Erza asked in a mocking tone when she saw his expression. "Of course you are scared… and with a good reason…"

Jellal thought over the situation in no time. He and Levy were lost if he couldn't make a proper excuse for her presence in the palace.

"What should I say?" he wondered.

There weren't many options. "I must pretend that this girl is Levy from this world… No one knows that she is from Earth Land, after all! That's right, I will say that she is here by my invitation," he decided.

He closed his eyes for a second and forced himself to calm down.

"I shouldn't look nervous!" Jellal ordered to himself. A calm expression appeared on his face and he even knitted his brows.

"How dare you treat my guests this way, Erza Knightwalker!" he shouted. That was so unexpected for the red-haired woman that she trembled and took a step back.

"Guests…?" she said under her breath.

"Set her free!" the illusion mage ordered. "Did you hear me? Set her free _immediately_!"

Startled by his angry tone, Erza released Levy's hair. The girl pulled away as far as possible from her and buried her face in her hands.

"Goodness! Jellal is in trouble because of me! Who knows what will happen with him now! That's his award for saving my life!" Levy thought.

"Will someone explain us what is going on here?" the chairman of the royal council asked. "Please, your majesty…"

"Your majesty? Your majesty, you say? This man doesn't deserve that title! He isn't worthy for the crown he is wearing!" Erza said, pointing at the king. "I found this girl in his room! He was hiding her there! I heard her voice last night…"

"It must have been your imagination!" Jellal hurried up to interrupt her words.

"I'm sure about it!" she insisted. "And here is the living evidence!" She pointed at Levy.

"The living evidence?" Jellal made an effort to smile. "Do you realize what you are saying? I told you, you must have imagined that you have heard a female voice! As for Levy, she is here by my invitation. She arrived this morning. I want to speak with her in private! Isn't it my right? Or maybe I can't invite guests in my own palace?"

"What do you want to speak about with her?" Erza asked sharply.

"How dare you ask me such a question? That's none of your business! It's between me and her! Since when should I give you a report for all my actions?"

He remained silent for a second. Deciding to take the offensive, he continued: "And how did you dare enter my room without my permission, Erza Knightwalker! Who do you think you are? Answer me! You know what the punishment for breaking the court ceremonial is, right? I can banish you from the palace for what you did!"

The red-haired woman clenched her teeth. She didn't know how to reply.

All members of the council believed the king's words. They were watching Erza with disapproval.

Jellal stood up and went close to the red-haired woman.

"It will be better for you to be careful, Erza. If you break the etiquette rules once more, you will take the consequences of your actions, you can be sure about this!" he said in a threatening tone. "Do you agree with me, ladies and gentlemen?" he added and cast a glance around.

The members of the royal council nodded.

Erza didn't say a word but she was obviously furious.

After a few seconds silence the king turned his steps towards Levy.

The girl didn't dare raise her head. Her ears were buzzing and she couldn't take her breath. When Jellal touched her hands, he felt that her entire body was trembling. He helped her to rise on her feet.

"Come with me, Levy, I will bring you back to my room. When I finish meeting with my council, I will speak with you!" the king said loudly and turned his steps towards the door. Levy followed him almost unconsciously and without saying a single word.

On the doorway Jellal turned his head back and cast a glance at Erza. It was obvious that her suspicions hadn't left her mind. She stared at him for a second but didn't say anything.

"I must be extremely careful tonight… Who knows what Erza can do! I must be ready for everything!" he thought.

-ooo-

Jellal brought Levy back to his room and helped her to seat herself in the nearest chair. Her feet refused to serve her any longer.

"It's over now," he said and fondled her hair. His tone was kind as always. "You can take your breath. Everyone thought that you are your counterpart here. They are convinced that I had invited you in the palace to speak with you."

Unable to hide her emotions any longer, Levy let her tears stream down her cheeks.

"Thank goodness!" she whispered. "I'm so sorry! It's my entire fault…" she started to apologize but the man interrupted her words.

"There is no need for you to make excuses. Just try to calm down and tell me how Erza found you."

"I really don't know. Believe me, I haven't left this room!" she answered.

"I believe you." He fondled her hair again. It was obvious that she was saying the truth.

"I was staying here," Levy pointed at the window. "I was looking outside when I heard Erza's voice behind me. She had entered the room without I notice her."

"I see…" Jellal whispered thoughtfully.

There was silence for a few seconds.

"Do you… feel sorry for saving my life?" Levy knew she shouldn't say this but these words escaped her lips. "I mean, if I wasn't here, you wouldn't have these problems…"

"To feel sorry for saving you?" He fixed his dark eyes at her face. "Where did you get this idea from? Of course not. Calm down, everything will be over soon. Tonight I will bring you back to Earth Land. Now I must go back, my council is waiting for me."

When the door closed behind him, Levy sighed and her tears started flowing again. "Oh, when will the night come?" she thought desperately.

**Review please! **

**I will explain what caused a loss of Levy's powers in the next chapter. (I will try to update it as soon as possible.)**


	10. Chapter 10

**Thanks for the review!**

**To Erilys: About your question, both your suppositions are right answers.**

**Please enjoy!**

Chapter10.A trap

_Twelve hours later_

It was getting on for midnight and nothing broke the silence in the royal palace.

Levy's nerves were tense and the dead silence depressed her even more. Before going to Earth Land, Jellal had told her not to worry but that was impossible for her. She just couldn't stay still. She had no patience to leave Edolas.

Hours that looked like years for her passed before the door finally opened. Levy jumped to her feet immediately and saw Jellal's cloaked figure.

"You have returned! Is everything okay?" she asked.

The man took his mask off. She noticed that his face was pale and he looked tired.

"Yes, don't worry." He gave a smile to her. "It's time to go, Levy. I'm going to bring you back to Earth Land as I promised you. Are you ready?"

Her face brightened up. Those were the words she was waiting for. The moment of her return to Earth Land had finally come. She was about to see her friends soon! And more importantly, Jellal woudn't has problems any more. The thought that he was in danger because of her presence in the palace was unbearable for her.

She cast a last glance around her and nodded.

"I'm ready."

"Then come with me, we have to hurry up," he ordered and took his mask on again. She followed him but when she left the room she nearly screamed. A human figure was lying in front of the door. Levy couldn't see its face but she recognized the long red hair immediately. It was Erza Knightwalker; it couldn't be anyone else.

Jellal pressed his hand against her lips. The scared girl cuddled against him unconsciously.

"Don't scream!" he whispered in her ear. His voice was muted due to the mask. "Everything is okay. Erza is just sleeping. Come, we have no time to lose."

"But why is she…" Levy was so scared that she couldn't finish her question.

"She was on the watch for me but I put her to sleep. Now come with me and don't be afraid. Erza can't see you."

He took her hand in his one and Levy followed him.

-ooo-

_At the same time in Earth Land…_

Despite the late hour Gajeel wasn't sleeping. He was in a forest near to the small town in the south of Magnolia.

Leaning against a tree, he was sitting stone-still and silent. He was lost in his sad thoughts.

And then something strange happened. It seemed to him that the night darkness thickened up bit by bit, forming a black wall around him. At the first moment he thought that it was his imagination and didn't pay attention to it but then he felt a familiar sense of cold. Anyoneelse . Gajeel knew very well what the origin of this magic was. "Why is he here…?"

"Why are you hiding? Show yourself!" he yelled as loud as he could and jumped on his feet.

There was dead silence for two or three seconds.

"Well, well, what are these words of yours? Aren't you happy to see your former master? You really have no manners!" a well-known voice said in a mocking tone. The black circle opened a little and a male figure appeared in front of Gajeel.

The Iron Dragon Slayer already knew who was coming so he wasn't surprised when he saw Jose Porla.

"What a spectacular appearing…" Gajeel's voice was cold and indifferent. "Still the same megalomania, I see. What do you want with me?" he asked directly, looking the newcomer up and down. He was in no mood for conversations.

"I want to give you my condolences for Levy MacGarden's death! And I want you to tell me what the feeling is when you have lost your greatest treasure… Is it painful to know that your girlfriend is dead?"

"How do you know about…" the black-haired Dragon Slayer started but at the next second his voice broke and he bit his lips. A terrible supposition flashed across his mind. "No, it can't be… It just can't be!"

Jose burst in laughter. "Don't tell me you haven't realized yet… I have sent one of my followers to take her magical power! You guess who I'm talking about, right?"

"Aria!" Gajeel thought. "How couldn't I guess earlier?" Now everything was on its place. The unexplainable loss of Levy's magical powers has its explanation. The air mage from Element 4 had taken her power like Makarov's one before.

"So… it was you who kidnapped her?" the Dragon Slayer asked.

The older man laughed again. "I haven't kidnapped her! Why should I do such a thing? I knew that there was no way for her to survive!"

"How could you… How did you dare harm her!" Gajeel said through clenched teeth. His rage was increasing with every passing second. It had already assumed dangerous proportions.

Jose raised his eyebrow. "What? You dare ask me such a question? As it seems, you have forgotten that it was time when you harmed her with your own hands! And not only her but also her team mates! Don't you remember this? Then you were still loyal to me… But you aren't any more! You joined my enemies and you will regret bitterly about this!"

"That's between me and you! Levy MacGarden had nothing to do with our relations!" Gajeel yelled. "So your courage is enough only to send Aria to attack a weak girl? If you want to revenge me for joining Fairy Tail, why didn't you send him to take my powers?"

"My wish was to make you suffer… And I knew that nothing would upset you more than this girl's death! And now… Now I want to deal with you with my own hands. I will show you what happens to those who betray me."

Gajeel didn't answer; he was thinking what he should do in that situation. He was more reasonable than Natsu, not so impulsive, but now his chances to survive were really small. He couldn't count on any help. And he knew that there was no way for him to defeat his former master in one-to-one fight. Jose was much stronger than him.

As for escape, it was quite impossible because he was in a trap. Jose's shades surrounded him. But even if he had a chance to escape, he wouldn't do it.

"I will probably die but before that I will have my revenge. Jose is responsible for Levy's death and he will pay for it," Gajeel thought. His eyes sparkled with anger and he clenched his hands in fists.

A cruel smile formed on Jose's lips. He took a step forward slowly because he had no reason to hurry up. Obviously he was enjoying the situation. "Finally I will deal with you!" he pronounced. "Now it's me against you. You are far away from Magnolia and from your new friends. There is no one to help you. I will show you who I am!"

"There is no need for you to show me. I know who you are… A _former_ member of the Ten Wizard Saints!" the Iron Dragon Slayer said caustically. That was a very well-targeted insult. The reminder for the loss of his title hurt Jose's pride.

The smile disappeared from Jose's lips and his face screwed in rage. He gnashed his teeth and attacked Gajeel.

**What do you think about this chapter? ****Review** **please!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Thanks for the reviews!**

**This chapter is for all people who sent me reviews until now. **

**Please enjoy!**

Chapter 11. An unexpected interference

Gajeel clenched his teeth, trying to pay no attention to the sharp pain of his injuries. His only wish was to go closer to Jose but he couldn't do it. Despite his powerful Dragon Slayer magic, it was impossible for him to defend himself from the shades that attacked him from all directions. He had already destroyed many of them but more and more new ones appeared.

The Iron Dragon Slayer had lost most of his magical power. He was getting more exhausted with every passing second. Just as he had expected, he was losing the fight.

And yet he had managed to damage his opponent. The evidences were Jose's two or three bleeding wounds.

"Go forth!" Jose ordered to his dark creatures and they rushed towards Gajeel. For a second it seemed to him that a black wave was about to overflow him. His Iron Dragon's Roar destroyed many of the shades but it couldn't deal with all of them. A few ones managed to wrap around him and he fell on his back.

Gajeel was desperately trying to take his breath but it was impossible for him. The shades that were wrapped around his body were choking him. And more importantly, they didn't let him move his arms and legs. He couldn't free himself because he was almost out of magical power. He realized that he was absolutely helpless in that deadly embrace.

The last thing he saw was Jose who was approaching him slowly with a victorious smile on his face.

After that Gajeel's eyes closed by themselves. He knew that his former master was about to finish him with one of his dark spells. Strangely, that thought didn't disturb him; his one and only emotion was anger.

But contrary to his expectations, at the same moment Jose gave a cry. To Gajeel's surprise, there was a taste of horror in his voice.

"What on earth… It's you? What are you doing here?" he screamed.

That was really unexpected. The black-haired Dragon Slayer didn't understand what was going on. What had frightened his former master to the point he screamed? Whatever it was, it was obviously very efficient because Gajeel felt that the shades loosened their grip and released him. He was able to breathe again. It took him a supreme effort to open his eyes but it seemed to him that he was watching through a mist. His senses refused to serve him any longer. And yet he was able to see a dark human figure standing in front of him.

"Who is it? Who interfered with the fight?" That was the last thought that crossed his mind before he lost consciousness.

-ooo-

It was nearly morning but the sun hasn't risen yet when Levy found herself in the forest near to Magnolia.

That place was well-known to her. She recognized it immediately and gave a sigh of relief. A large smile formed on her lips.

"I'm in Earth Land again! Oh, thank goodness! I will be at the guild soon!" she thought. Her heart started beating faster.

Jellal, who was standing next to her, pronounced her name and she looked at him.

"Well, I'm leaving you here, Levy," he told her. She couldn't see his expression because his face was hidden but it seemed to her that he was smiling. "You know the way to the city of Magnolia, right?"

She nodded.

"Then you don't need my help anymore," the man said. "I won't accompany you to the Fairy Tail guild because nobody must see me. Go, your friends will be happy to see you."

He looked at her silently for a moment and then continued speaking in a serious tone: "And don't forget what you promised me, Levy. Don't tell _anyone_ that you were in Edolas. No one must know that I helped you! I'm counting on your ability to keep a secret!"

The girl bowed her head. She was trying to think out the most suitable phrase to thank him for saving her life. But when she finally found the proper words and raised her head, Jellal had already gone without waiting to hear her gratitude to him. Levy cast a glance around her but there was no trace of him; she was absolutely alone. He had disappeared as it was possible only for Mystogan.

"Jellal?" she pronounced but nobody answered her. Her face darkened for a second. She wanted very much to thank him for everything he had done for her but it was impossible now.

Levy sighed heavily but after that her good mood took an upped hand again. Without losing any time, she directed towards the city of Magnolia. She had no patience to see her friends, her team mates… and Gajeel Redfox.

"What will be their surprise when they see me?" she thought and smiled unconsciously.

The streets of Magnolia were still empty because of the early hour. Obviously the most of the citizens were still sleeping. It took her nearly an hour to reach her goal – the Fairy Tail guild.

Levy stopped in front of the door and tried to collect her thoughts. She had spent only four days in Edolas and yet it seemed to her that years had passed since Jellal had brought her to his kingdom.

She took a deep breath and entered the guild hall.

As usual, Mirajane was already awake; she was preparing the morning coffee when she heard the door opened.

"Who is coming so early?" the white-haired girl wondered. She raised her head… and she dropped the cup she held. It broke with a crash.

-ooo-

Already far away from the battlefield, Jose cursed the day under his breath.

Until that moment everything had been going according to his plans but just when he had prepared to finish his victim, he had been denied this pleasure because of the unexpected interference. Jose had been forced to withdraw because he had known that there was no victory for him against his new opponent.

"Damn it!" the man said through clenched teeth. "How could this happen? How could he appear at the last moment, just before my final attack! It was such a bad luck… Who could have thought that he was around?" His face screwed in rage. "Damn all Fairy Tail trashes!"

He repeated the last phrase in a louder voice and gnashed his teeth. His anger was choking him.

The Phantom master consoled himself with the thought that he had almost reached his goal. He had managed to do a great damage to Gajeel, he was sure about it. "It is quite possible this trash to be dead already…"

**Please let me know your opinion for this chapter!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Thanks for the review!**

**Please enjoy!**

Chapter 12. Levy's return

At the first moment Mirajane thought that something was wrong with her eyes. She closed them and opened them again.

"It can't be!" she thought. "I'm dreaming! It can't be Levy! She is dead! She _must_ be dead! Porlyusica-san was categorical that nothing could save her life!"

"Mira-san!" Levy exclaimed happily and rushed forward with an intention to hug Mirajane but the older girl instinctively took a step back. The shock of that unexpected appearance was too much for her. Noticing that, the blue-haired mage stopped short.

"Levy!" Mirajane screamed. "Is this you?"

Levy was about to answer "Of course it's me!" but before she could say it the other guild members rushed into the hall. They have heard Mira's scream and were coming to see what was happening. Seeing the girl they considered to be dead, they stopped, unable to believe their own eyes.

"You?" Natsu's voice sounded. "Wait, are you a ghost?"

"Aye! It's a ghost! It can't be anything else!" Happy was scared as always.

"A ghost? Certainly not! I'm alive like you and I have never died!" the blue-haired mage answered with a smile.

"I'm so glad to see you!" Erza said. She was about to embrace Levy but the blue-haired girl drew aside with a scream "Don't touch me!" It was an instinctive reaction. She still couldn't pull herself together after the horror she had gone through when she had been in Edolas. Seeing Erza Scarlet so close, she had the terrible feeling that Erza Knightwalker was standing in front of her again.

"What is wrong?" Titania asked when she saw Levy's terrified expression. Her eyes widened in shock. She was really amazed because she hadn't expected such a reaction. "Why did you scream? Don't tell me that you are afraid of me!"

The sound of her voice brought Levy back to the reality. It took her a supreme effort to hide her emotions. Her face changed back to its usual expression and she forced herself to smile.

"Of course I'm not afraid of you," she said. "Please forgive me! Don't pay attention to this! I'm really happy to see you all!" The last sentence was the truth itself.

"Anyway, what happened to you?" Lucy wondered. "Will you explain us?"

"Where on earth were you?" Jet and Droy asked in one voice. "We have lost any hope to see you again!"

"And how it came that you are alive at first place?" The question escaped Evergreen's lips. "Porlyusica-san told us that nothing could save your life!"

Levy had expected these questions. She bit her lips, thinking what she should answer. There was no way for her to say the truth… She had promised Jellal to keep a secret. It was the only one thing that he had wanted in return for saving her life. But she didn't want to say a lie to her friends.

"I…I'm afraid that I can't tell you," she replied after a few seconds hesitation and her face blushed. "So please don't ask me."

Everyone was surprised to hear that. There was something strange here. It wasn't typical for Levy to be mysterious. What had happened with her?

"You can't tell us? Why?" Natsu insisted. His curiosity was greater than ever.

"I promised to keep a secret," Levy explained. "That was the wish of the person who saved my life. So please understand that I can't tell you. Please forgive me about that!"

There was dead silence for a minute.

"If so, we won't force you to tell us, don't worry," Erza said finally.

"Well, it doesn't matter," Jet added. "Whatever had happened, it's over now. You are alive and well, that's enough."

Hurrying up to switch the conversation, Levy asked about the person that she hadn't seen yet. "Where is Gajeel?"

The other Fairy Tail members looked at each other. How could they explain her…?

"Well, where is he?" the blue-haired girl repeated.

"He is not here," Mira answered and sighed.

"Is he on a mission?" Levy asked but at the same moment she noticed Pantherlily. That was strange… Gajeel wouldn't go anywhere without his cat partner. She knew it very well.

"No, it's not that. I'm afraid that he… he has left the guild."

That was so unexpected that Levy just stared at Mirajane and her smile faded. She thought that she hadn't heard right.

"Gajeel has left the guild? Did I understand right, Mira-san? But why? When?"

"We found his absence yesterday morning. It seems that he has left the guild in the middle of the night without anyone sees him. And who knows where he is now… He… he was just crushed with grief after your disappearing. He didn't want to speak with any of us, even with Juvia and Pantherlily," Mirajane explained.

"Look at this." Natsu gave her the letter that Gajeel had left.

Levy took the list of paper and began reading: _"I'm leaving the guild because nothing keeps me here anymore. I must find Levy's ravisher and when I do, he will regret about kidnapping her. Farewell."_

She read it once, then twice. "It can't be!"

Her hands started trembling; her face became as white as ashes. The overload of happiness was replaced with an overload of horror. The person who she wanted to see more than anyone else (even more than her team mates) has left the guild. She sat on the nearest chair because she felt that she couldn't stand firm on her feet.

"Gajeel wants to find my ravisher…?" Levy whispered with an effort. It seemed to her that she heard her own voice from a far distance.

"When you disappeared, we decided that you have been kidnapped by a member of the dark guild!" Mirajane explained. "It was the only logical explanation!"

Levy read the letter for a third time and noticed that it wasn't sighed. "And you are sure that Gajeel has written this?" she asked.

"There is no doubt about it. Juvia found the letter in his room. Besides, this is his handwriting, Juvia is absolutely sure about it," the rain woman answered her.

"When we found his absence, I wanted to search for him and bring him back to the guild but the master stopped me. He said that it would be better to leave Gajeel alone," Erza said. "And maybe that was the right decision then. But now the circumstances changed… You are alive, so now we must try to find Gajeel. He must know that you are not dead!"

"That's right, Erza! Let's search for him!" Natsu added with his usual enthusiasm. "I'm looking forward for a nice fight with him! I'm all fired up!"

"Aye, sir!" Happy exclaimed.

"I'm coming with you!" Pantherlily declared. "He is my partner, after all! I want to know what is going on with him!"

"I will come too!" Levy said decisively. "We must find Gajeel at every cost!"

**Please send me a review****! Let me know your opinion for this chapter! I will be very grateful for it! **

**I won't be able to update this story in the next 7-8 days. Please accept my apologies. I'm really very busy these days and I don't have enough time to write. (I promise to update as soon as I can.)**


	13. Chapter 13

**Thanks for the reviews!**

**To Medley Nightfallen: Gajeel isn't actually kidnapped… You will see…**

**To answer your question, the TumTum tree: Jellal can't confess in the presence of his royal council that there was a girl in his room at night. That is why he pretends that she has arrived in the palace earlier in the same morning by his invitation.**

**Please enjoy!**

Chapter 13. Dead or just unconscious

"We must find Gajeel at every cost!" Levy said. She had got over the first shock and now she felt an influx of energy. She rose on her feet.

"Let's go!" Natsu exclaimed.

"But you have just returned, Levy! It will be better for you to stay here! It may be dangerous to search for him…" Jet said to Levy. His expression was worried. He remained silent, hesitating to say or not his next thought. After a few seconds he continued talking: "And not to mention that Gajeel is… I don't know how to say it… He is dangerous himself. Believe me, I'm telling you the truth itself. He isn't in his right mind and who knows what he can do!"

"That's right!" Droy added. "Please stay here, Levy. Natsu and his team will find Gajeel. Leave this to them. They will definitely bring him back to the guild."

The blue-haired girl bit her lips, hesitating how to answer. She knew that her team mates were truly concerned about her but nothing could stop her for going with Team Natsu. Her desire to find the Iron Dragon Slayer was stronger than anything else. The thought that he was far away, alone and desperate, was unbearable for her.

"Gajeel has left Fairy Tail because of me, so now I must bring him back! Please understand that it is my duty!" she declared. Her tone was so categorical that her team mates just stared at her without saying a single word. "And don't worry about me, boys. I will be with Erza and Natsu! They are strong enough to protect me. Nothing can harm me!"

Jet and Droy looked at each other and remained silent. They understood that it was impossible to talk her out of her decision.

"Let's go! We have no time to lose!" the fire mage repeated. He had no patience to go. In fact, he wanted to find Gajeel for just one reason – to have a fight with him.

"Wait a minute, Natsu, don't be so hasty… We have a problem! Where should we search for Gajeel?" Lucy asked.

Her words chilled Salamander's enthusiasm and made the others look at her. They hadn't thought about that.

"You are absolutely right, Lucy," Gray said. "Where could he be…? We can't search the entire Fiore!"

"Don't worry about that. Leave it to me, I will reveal Gajeel's location through my Card magic," Cana Alberona answered in a confident tone. "I'm sure that I will be able to find where he is. It will take me half an hour to do it!"

"Good idea," Titania nodded. "We are counting on you. Please hurry up and ask your cards!"

"Thank you so much, Cana!" Levy and Pantherlily exclaimed in one voice. "You are so kind!"

"I won't forget this favour!" the blue-haired girl added.

-ooo-

_At the same time in the East Forest…_

It was still early in the morning – the sun has just risen – but Porlyusica had already drunk her coffee and was ready to start doing her everyday work. She intended to go to the other side of the forest and to gather a special kind of herbs.

Then she heard something. A weak sound of steps broke the morning silence. It seemed to her that someone was walking near to her home.

"Who is it? Who is coming so early?" the pink-haired woman thought angrily. She wasn't in a mood for visitors at the moment. For a few seconds she remained stone-still, then turned her steps towards the door with an intention to see who was it.

But when she opened the door, all her irritation disappeared without a trace and she remained frozen in shock for a second. What she saw gave cold shivers down her back and her eyes widened in horror.

There was a human figure lying helplessly in front of her door. It was lit by the bright light of the rising sun.

Porlyusica recognized it immediately. It was Gajeel Redfox and none other; there was no doubt about it, but he was in such a wretched state that she felt a comparison to him despite her hate to the human race. He was lying immovably on his back with his eyes closed. The bigger part of his body was wrapped in bandages and yet drops of blood percolated through them, staining his clothes. His long black hair was covered in dust. The right side of his face was hidden by two or three dark locks and yet it was obvious that he was extremely pale.

The woman didn't believe her eyes. She took a step back instinctively.

What had happened to that boy? What on earth had driven him to such a state?

"It seems that he had fought with somebody," the old mage thought. "It couldn't have been anything else. But whom he fought with and why…?"

And more importantly, was Gajeel dead or just unconscious? It was impossible to understand from the first look.

Porlyusica took a deep breath and clenched her teeth.

"I must calm down!" she ordered to herself.

The old woman took a step forward and cast a glance around her home. Not a sound was breaking the silence. There was nobody around except for the Iron Dragon Slayer. And yet she knew that the steps she had heard weren't his ones. It was quite impossible for Gajeel to come here by himself. Someone had brought him to her home. But who could have done it? Whoever it was, he or she didn't want to be seen. But for what reason…?

Well, that wasn't so important for the present. Porlyusica looked at the black-haired mage again, knitted her eyebrows and sighed. There were mixed emotions in her soul. On the one hand, she hated humans and couldn't stand Gajeel's presence. She wanted to be alone. And that wasn't all; she had work to do. But on the other hand, she couldn't just ignore him and let him lye in front of her door as if he didn't exist.

She took a decision just a second later. Her comparison got an upper hand over her hate to the human race. It came to her mind that the person who had brought Gajeel to her home (whoever it was) obviously had expected her to take care of him. Besides, it was beyond any doubt that Makarov would ask her for the same thing if he was here. She knew that he loved Fairy Tail members as his own children.

"Well, I won't gather herbs today," she said to herself with resignation. "I can do this job tomorrow. Now I must take care of this boy."

Porlyusica kneeled next to the black-haired Dragon Slayer and pronounced his name. When he didn't reply she repeated in a louder voice: "Gajeel!"

There was no answer. The injured mage was still lying immovably. He hadn't heard her voice.

"Is he alive?" Porlyusica said under her breath.

She took hold of his hand gently and felt that it was ice-cold. He didn't move; obviously he hadn't felt her touch. Without losing any time, she checked his pulse. A few seconds later she already knew the answer of her question.

**Thank you for reading! Review** **please, please, please!**


	14. Chapter 14

**Thanks for the reviews! As I understand, you don't like the cliff-hanging plot. Please accept my apologies! I promise to explain everything soon…**

**Please enjoy!**

Chapter 14. A new threat

_Half an hour later at the Fairy Tail guild…_

"I don't understand… My cards are telling me strange things!" Cana said. Her expression was thoughtful.

She had placed her cards all over the table and was watching them. She was doing this job from nearly half an hour. At the moment the cards formed a complicated geometric figure. Cana changed their positions and sighed.

"What do your cards say? What is so strange?" Levy asked impatiently. She just couldn't stay still; every passing minute was a torture for her. She and the members of Team Natsu were surrounded Cana. The other Fairy Tail mages were also sitting around her and were watching her with curiosity.

"According to my Card magic, Gajeel is in the East Forest at the moment!" the brown-haired mage explained.

"What? In the East Forest?" Erza was really surprised to hear that. "That's impossible! Porlyusica-san lives in this forest… Why should Gajeel go there? He knows very well – like all of us – that she can't stand human presence!"

Natsu and Gray were also surprised but didn't say anything.

Levy hesitated for a second to say or not her supposition.

"Maybe… maybe you have made a mistake, Cana," she dared to pronounce. "Please don't think that I want to insult you but Erza is right, Gajeel can't be there! Please ask the cards again!"

"I also thought that it was some kind of mistake but I have already asked them three times and the answer is still the same!" Cana declared. Her tone was categorical. "That's all I can do." She gathered her cards and pocketed them.

The members of Team Natsu looked at each other. Obviously they won't gather more information.

"What should we do?" Lucy asked. "What do you think, Erza?"

"Well, there is only one thing we can do. We must see if Cana's cards say the truth. We have no other choice," Titania answered. "Maybe Gajeel is in the East Forest indeed… We will understand very soon. It is such luck that the forest is near to Magnolia! Let's go and visit Porlyusica-san."

"Is it necessary?" Happy looked scared. Erza, being the strongest Fairy Tail female wizard, might have enough courage to visit Porlyusica but it wasn't the same with him. Like the most guild members, he preferred to stay away from the pink-haired mage.

"I don't want to go there… I mean… I'm afraid of Porlyusica-san!" the little cat added.

Lucy remained silent but just the same words that Happy had said were running into her head.

"Don't worry, I will be with you!" Natsu answered in his usual care-free manner.

"Wait a minute, and what if Gajeel isn't there? What will we do then? Where should we search for him?" Gray asked.

"We will see," Erza replied. "Now let's go, we have no time to lose."

"That's right! Let's hurry up, please!" Levy said.

"Aye…" Happy nodded cheerlessly.

-ooo-

Meanwhile Porlyusica had managed to place Gajeel on a bed inside her home. She was taking care of him at the moment.

Despite his serious injuries he was still alive; she was sure about it because his heart was beating. As it was to be expected, its rhythm was irregular and slow. That wasn't just a consequence of the loss of blood; the pink-haired woman knew that he had lost a huge quantity of his magical power.

There was no doubt that Gajeel had been brought to her home just in time (in the most literal meaning of the word); only an hour later it would be too late for her (and for anyone else) to help him.

She was still wondering who had brought him here. And something more, why had this person gone without speaking with her? Maybe he or she was afraid of her, knowing that she hated the human race?

"I shouldn't think about this now," Porlyusica thought and focused her attention on the black-haired mage.

She took the blood-stained bandages off his body and placed them on the floor near to the bed; then she washed his wounds out with one of her herbal infusions. After a minute the bleeding stopped and she dressed his injuries again. Gajeel's hands weren't so cold now but face was still extremely pale and his eyes remained closed. He continued lying immovably. All her efforts to wake him up were fruitless.

The old woman sat on a chair next to the bed. She was wondering what to do.

"I definitely must find some way to let Makarov know that one of his guild members is here," she said to herself but just then she heard a sound of approaching steps for a second time that morning. The noise interrupted her thoughts.

"Who is it now? What a day…" Porlyusica was really irritated. Her calm and lonely morning was completely ruined. She opened the door with an intention to drive the newcomer away but when she looked at outside, she shivered.

Two guys were standing in front of her.

The first one was so enormous that she had to raise her head to look him in the face. She noticed was that his eyes were tied and tears were streaming down his cheeks.

The second man's hair consisted of two colours, black and white.

For a moment Porlyusica just stared at them.

"You confounded people!" she snapped at them. "Whoever you are, get out of here right now!"

The man with two colour hair made a mocking bow.

"Good morning, madam," he said. His voice was kind and yet there was a taste of irony in his tone. "Let me introduce myself and this friend of mine. My name is Totomaru and this is Aria…"

"I don't want to know who you are!" Porlyusica cut his words off. "Didn't you hear me? Get out of my sight _immediately_! I can't stand human presence!"

Totomaru raised his eyebrow.

"Is it so?" he asked. A sarcastic smile formed on his lips. "Please forgive me but I don't believe you, madam… If you can't stand human presence, why there is a man in your home now?"

That was so unexpected that the pink-haired woman lost her ability to speak for a minute. She guessed what these people wanted.

"We know that Gajeel Redfox is here. It's useless for you to deny it," Totomaru said. Obviously he was enjoying the situation because his smile became even larger. "If you really hate people, let us do you a favour… Let us free you from Gajeel's presence! We have come here for him. Our master, Jose Porla, has sent us to bring this iron trash to him dead or alive. In a few words, master Jose wants to finish what he started…"

He remained silent for a second. "And in my opinion, it will be better for Gajeel to be dead already!" he added and burst in laughter.

"What?" Porlyusica asked. "So Jose Porla is responsible for Gajeel's state? And he hasn't enough courage to come here himself so he has sent you two? Don't tell me that he is afraid of an old woman like me!"

Totomaru continued talking as if he hadn't heard her caustic words: "Please madam, give Gajeel Redfox to us and we will leave this forest at the same minute. You have my word."

"How dare you!" Porlyusica was so furious that she couldn't say anything else. She stared at the two men and her eyes sparkled with anger.

Totomaru's expression changed radically. His smile disappeared without a trace. In contrast with his previous premeditated politeness, there was a taste of threat in his words now.

"As I said, we must take Gajeel with us and bring him to our master. We can do it the easy way or the hard one," he said through clenched teeth. "It's your decision, madam. So tell me, will you give him to us willingly or not? In any case, you must know that we won't leave this place without him!" He took a step forward.

**What do you think about this chapter? ****Please send me a review!**


	15. Chapter 15

**Thanks for the reviews!**

**Please enjoy!**

Chapter 15. Aria's horror

"I'm asking you for a last time, will you give Gajeel Redfox to us willingly or not? Please madam, hurry up with your answer because we have no time to lose. We can't stay here and chat with you for a long time. You see, our master is waiting for our return. He wants to see Gajeel as soon as possible," Totomaru said. It was obvious that his patience was on its end.

Without saying a word, Aria took the cloth off his face and opened his eyes.

Porlyusica didn't answer but her expression was so fierce that both men took a step back against their will. They hadn't expected a resistance from the lonely old woman but obviously she wouldn't give them Gajeel willingly.

The silence dragged on.

"So your answer is "no"? Did I understand right?" Totomaru asked. He whispered but that was more terrifying than yelling. "Well, I tried to ask you in a civil manner because I didn't want to harm you… If you don't yield to my entreaties, we will take Gajeel by force."

"Such a brave action, two men against a woman!" was the pink-haired mage's retort.

"It is beneath my dignity to fight with ladies but you left me no other choice. Blame only yourself…" Totomaru couldn't finish his sentence because a female voice interrupted his words.

"What is going on here?" the voice asked.

Turning their heads at that direction, Porlyusica and her interlocutors saw small group of people. Erza and Natsu were standing on head of the group. The red-haired S-class mage was frowning; contrary to her, there was a smile on Salamander's face.

Natsu recognized the two mages from the former Phantom lord guild immediately. Why were they here? Well, it wasn't so important for the present; he would find it out later. What mattered now was that their presence meant a good fight for him. His fire aura enveloped his body. Without thinking, he rushed forward with a yell "I'm all fired up!" He attacked Totomaru but the dark mage redirected his flames.

"I can use your own weapon against you, remember?" Totomaru asked in a mocking tone. "And now I will take my revenge for my previous loss by you!"

"I defeated you once and I will do it again!" Salamander answered. "Now I will use an attack you can't avoid!"

Totomaru prepared to redirect his flames again but what was his surprise when he was hit by the fist of the pink-haired Dragon Slayer. He hadn't expected an attack without a magic and couldn't dodge Natsu's blow.

Meanwhile Lucy summoned Loke and he hurried up to help Natsu. They continued attacking Totomaru together.

Erza and Gray were standing in front of Aria, ready to fight with him.

The air mage, who had remained silent until that moment, began speaking for a first time.

"You can't avoid my Drain magic!" he pronounced. "Who should I start with… maybe with you, Fairy Queen? I will take your magical powers away just as I did with…"

And just then he saw something unbelievable… more preciously, not something but someone. A person he hadn't noticed until that moment because his attention was focused on Erza Scarlet (he considered her to be the main threat for him). There, behind Titania, a girl was standing, a short girl with a blue hair. That girl was so familiar that he lost his ability to speak for a few seconds. His eyes widened in shock.

"…Levy!" he finished his sentence but the name sounded like a scream of horror.

Everyone (including Totomaru) turned to look at him.

Aria couldn't take his eyes off the blue-haired girl. Even his tears stopped flowing for a minute. Being an air mage, he had never have difficulties with breathing but now it seemed to him that the oxygen in the air was not enough for his lungs.

"Something must be wrong with my eyes! That's a hallucination!" he thought.

Levy MacGarden couldn't be alive. He was absolutely sure about it because he had taken care of it himself. There was no way for her to survive his Drain magic. And yet she was standing in front of him as if nothing had happened. How was that possible? Were these damned Fairy Tail mages indestructible? Or he was seeing her ghost?

Porlyusica was not less shocked than Aria when she noticed Levy. The old woman knew very well that the girl should have died a few days ago because she had lost her magical power. There was no way for her to be alive… No, there was no way unless…

"Mystogan!" she thought, remembering the day when Makarov had been brought to her home in the same state. The masked mage had helped him then. "Maybe he has something to do with this? Maybe he has saved Levy's life by recollecting her powers?"

As for Totomaru, he remained frozen in shock. At the next moment he felt that he was flying into a rage.

"You!" he screamed at Aria, completely forgotten about his fight with Natsu and Loke. "Weren't you supposed to take this girl's magical power away? Didn't master Jose order you to do it?"

"What?" the members of Team Natsu and Pantherlily exclaimed. They looked at each other. Now they realized what had caused the loss of Levy's magical powers.

"So it was you who nearly killed Levy! You coward…" Erza said through clenched teeth. Her face was screwed in rage and she directed her sword at the air mage.

Aria didn't pay any attention to Erza. He was watching only Totomaru.

"Yes, master Jose ordered me and I did it…" Aria's tears started flowing again. "I don't understand… That's just not possible… She can't be alive! That must be her ghost! I'm telling you, it can't be anything else!"

Wondering at her own courage, Levy took a step forward. What happened next really surprised her. Seized with uncontrollable fear, Aria drew aside as if he was seeing a supernatural creature. He had lost his ability to think logically; his only thought was to get out of that place.

It was a very strange sight, that enormous man stepping back in fear of a girl. Fairy Tail mages would probably burst into laughter if the situation wasn't so serious.

A second later Aria was already disappeared between the trees.

"Where are you going? Come back here…" Totomaru cried after him as loud as he could but his words were interrupted by Natsu's flames. He was too distracted to avoid the attack and a fire globe hit him. Loke was preparing to attack him too.

Totomaru thought over the situation in a split second. Maybe he was able to deal with one or two opponents but he didn't stand a chance against five mages. He had no choice but to withdraw. He ran after Aria.

"Where are you going you coward? Come back, I haven't done with you yet! Did you hear me? Come back!" Natsu screamed. He was about to run after Totomaru but Erza stopped him.

"Leave him, Natsu," the red-haired mage commanded.

"Obviously these guys didn't expect to see Levy alive," Happy said.

"To tell you the truth, I also didn't expect it. How is it possible for you to be alive, girl?" Porlyusica asked, staring at Levy as if she wanted to read the answer inside her mind. "Tell me, does Mystogan have something to do with it?"

The question was so unexpected for the girl that she took a step back.

"W-What? M-Mystogan?" Levy stammered and shivers ran down her back. How could Porlyusica know about that? The blue-haired girl felt that her face blushed but at the next moment it came to her mind that her confusion would give her away. And she couldn't let that happen. Jellal's words echoed in her head: "Don't forget what you promised me, Levy. Don't tell _anyone_ that you were in Edolas. No one must know that I helped you! I'm counting on your ability to keep a secret!"

"I must calm down or everyone will guess that Mystogan saved me indeed!" Levy ordered to herself. Her face changed back to its usual expression and a smile formed on her lips.

She didn't want to say a lie but she had no other choice.

"Mystogan?" Levy repeated, making an effort her voice to sound calm and natural. "Of course he has nothing to do with this!"

Porlyusica didn't look convinced. She was about to continue asking Levy but luckily for the girl, at the same moment Natsu interfered and changed the subject of the conversation.

"Porlyusica-san, why were Aria and Totomaru here?" the fire mage asked. "What did they want?"

The pink-haired woman opened the door.

"They wanted me to give him to them," she answered and pointed at the man lying on the bed inside. Her guests cast a glance at him…

"Gajeel!" Levy and Pantherlily screamed in one voice.

**What is your opinion for this chapter? Whatever it is, positive or negative, please let me know it! Review please!**

**I will explain who saved Gajeel and brought him to Porlyusica's home in the next chapter…**


	16. Chapter 16

**Thanks for the reviews!**

**To Medley Nightfallen: You are right that Porlyusica should drive Natsu and the other Fairy Tail mages away. I will explain in this chapter why she didn't do it.**

**To undisi: Please, you don't have to apologize for your English! My English is much worse than yours. **

**Please enjoy!**

Chapter 16. A dragon's sense of smell is never wrong

"Gajeel!" Levy and Pantherlily screamed in one voice. They rushed towards the bed and each one of them grabbed one of Gajeel's hands.

The Iron Dragon Slayer didn't move. Obviously he hadn't felt their touches.

The members of Team Natsu also entered the room and approached the bed without saying a single word. They didn't believe their eyes.

"So Cana's cards were saying the truth as always," Lucy whispered.

"Aye," Happy answered.

Levy didn't even notice that her friends surrounded her; she was watching only the Iron Dragon Slayer. Her face was paler than Gajeel's one at that moment. Her ears were buzzing and she couldn't take her breath as if an invisible hand was choking her. Her entire body was trembling; she fell to her knees. Unable to move and speak, she just stared at the body lying on the bed. It seemed to her that she was watching through a mist.

The blue-haired mage wrung Gajeel's hand. Thinking that he was dying, she felt an indescribable mixture of emotions but the main one of them was horror. She refused to believe her senses. It was too terrible to be real.

"It's a nightmare came true!" she thought. "No, it's even worse… Is this why Jellal saved my life, to come back to Earth Land and to find Gajeel dying? It would be better if he had left me to die! Oh, woe to me…"

Tears rose in her eyes. She made an effort to force them back but it was impossible for her. The tears streamed down her face.

Porlyusica looked angrily at her. It was bad enough that there were five people (and two cats) in her home and now that crying was far too much for her tense nerves.

"He doesn't need to be lamented, girl. He is just unconscious and isn't going to die," the pink-haired woman said in a loud voice.

It seemed to Levy that she heard these words from a far distance. Nearly a minute passed before she could realize their meaning

"What did you say, Porlyusica-san? He isn't going to die?" she whispered.

"That's right. So calm down, I can't stand weeping."

Hearing these words, Levy gave a sigh of relief. Her heart started beating again.

"Thank goodness!" she said to herself. Without thinking, she pressed Gajeel's hand against her face.

"What on earth has happened to Gajeel?" Erza whispered. "Do you know, Porlyusica-san? And why is he here? Please tell us everything you know!"

The old woman sighed because she wasn't in a mood for long explanations at the moment. In fact, her only wish was to be alone; she wanted to drive these people away immediately but under the circumstances (and in the name of her friendship with Makarov) she couldn't do it. So she suppressed her impulse to answer angrily and told them everything she knew in a few words. When she finished speaking, Fairy Tail mages looked at each other.

"That's unbelievable…" Pantherlily said under his breath.

"So Jose Porla is responsible for everything that happened," Gray muttered. "Goodness, he had nearly killed Gajeel! It's a wonder that he is still alive."

"And someone has brought Gajeel here, you say? But who could have done it? Who…?" The questions escaped Lucy's lips. She was really blank. A bunch of names was running through her head but not even one of them looked likely to her. Her curiosity gave her no peace. Her imagination was depicting thousands pictures of that mysterious person.

"How am I supposed to know, girl?" Porlyusica snapped at her. "I really have no idea! I told you, I heard someone's steps but when I went outside, I saw only this boy!" She pointed at the black-haired Dragon Slayer. "He was unconscious and was lying in front of my door!"

"Maybe there is a way to find out who has saved him…" Natsu said thoughtfully as if he was speaking to himself. He was looking at the blood-stained bandages that were placed on the floor near to the bed. "Porlyusica-san, were Gajeel's wounds dressed with these bandages when you found him on your door-sill?"

"That's right," the pink-haired woman confirmed and gave a puzzled look at Natsu. She didn't understand why he was asking her such a strange question.

Without saying a word more, the fire mage grabbed the bandages and approached them to his nose. His infallible sense of smell gave him the answer of Lucy's questions. There was no doubt who had dressed Gajeel's wounds. The bandages had a specific smell on them and the dragon slayer's nose couldn't make a mistake. The smell was well-known to Natsu and it could belong to one person only.

"So it was he who saved Gajeel… Who could have thought! One could never expect such a thing from him…" Salamander said to himself but he didn't pronounce a word.

"What do you think, Natsu? What does your nose say?" Lucy asked impatiently.

"Do you know whom I should thank for saving Gajeel's life?" Levy and Pantherlily asked at the same time. They couldn't take their eyes off Natsu.

The fire mage stared at them and hesitated for a second. He was wondering how to answer. Should he say the truth? No, it would be better to keep it secret… His friends wouldn't believe it, anyway.

"If I tell them that Gajeel has been saved by Laxus, they will think that I'm not in my right mind!" Natsu thought.

"Natsu, did you hear me?" The blonde girl touched his shoulder.

"Yes, I heard you, Lucy… Unfortunately, my nose doesn't help me this time. I'm afraid that I don't sense any smell!" the Fire Dragon Slayer lied.

Lucy raised her eyebrows. "What did you say? You don't sense any smell? That's unusual…"

"Aye…" Happy was no less surprised than the Celestial Spirit mage.

Natsu blushed. "I mean… I mean, the only smell I can sense is Gajeel's one! As you see, these bandages are soaked in his blood!" he hurried up to explain.

That explanation was also a lie, but it was likely and satisfied the others.

"It's a pity that we don't know whom we should thank," Pantherlily said cheerlessly.

Levy just sighed. Her disappointment was more than obvious.

"Anyway, what matters now is that Gajeel is alive. When he regains consciousness, he will probably explain us what exactly had happened to him," Erza said.

"Why doesn't he open his eyes?" Levy asked. She was looking at Porlyusica pleadingly but the old woman made no answer.

"We should take Wendy with us!" Lucy said. "If she were here, she would probably be able to heal him with her Sky magic!"

"That's right. We must bring him back to the guild as soon as possible. Wendy will heal him," Titania nodded. After a few seconds silence she added: "Besides, I think that it is quite possible his former guild mates to come here and search for him again… He will be safer at the Fairy Tail guild!"

Erza took the injured mage in her arms without any effort. "Let's go!" she ordered.

"Be careful, Aria and Totomaru can attack you on the way to Magnolia," Porlyusica warned them.

-ooo-

Luckily, the Fairy Tail mages didn't meet anyone on their way back to Magnolia. They reached the city without any difficulties.

When they entered the guild hall, everyone who was there turned to look at them.

"You have returned!" Jet and Droy exclaimed.

"You have found Gajeel! So, was he in the East Forest as my cards were saying?" Cana hurried up to ask.

"Goodness! What has happened to the poor Gajeel?" Mirajane asked. The sight of the injured Iron Dragon Slayer made her heart bleeding.

"Why is he in such a state?" Juvia's expression was terrified. "Please tell Juvia, she wants to know!"

"We will explain you later," Erza answered. "We must take care of him first."

"Wendy, can you help him with your healing magic?" Levy asked, looking at the Sky Dragon Slayer pleadingly.

**Review please!**

**It will take me 4-5 days to finish writing the next chapter so I apologize in advance for the late update.**


	17. Chapter 17

**Thanks for the reviews!**

**Here is the final of the story.**

**Please enjoy!**

Chapter 17. As usual

"Tell me, can you help him, Wendy?" Levy asked. "If you can, please hurry up! You see that he is not well!"

"I will try," the Sky Dragon Slayer answered. She concentrated and cast her healing spell. A blue light emitted form her hands, illuminating Gajeel's pale face.

Meanwhile Erza was telling the other guild members what had happened and what they had learned from Porlyusica.

Predictably, Juvia was shocked of what she heard.

"And you are sure that everything that happened was master Jose's fault?" she asked.

"There is no doubt about it," Erza assured her.

"That's such a horror! Juvia can't believe it!" the rain woman muttered.

Mira and Levy were standing a little aside. They weren't hearing the conversation because their attention was focused on Gajeel and Wendy.

Mirajane was fondling the injured mage's long hair with tenderness of a big sister. "Oh, poor boy… Poor boy," she whispered. Her expression was filled with comparison to him.

Even with the Sky magic, Gajeel continued lying immovably and his eyes remained closed.

"Why isn't he waking up? Why?" Levy asked. Her voice was trembling.

"Maybe he still needs to get some sleep," Wendy answered. She looked really tired and her face was pale. "Don't worry, Levy-san, my healing spell is already working. I'm sure about it."

"But when will he wake up?" The blue-haired girl couldn't stop herself from asking that question. She took Wendy's hands in her ones and looked at her pleadingly.

"I'm afraid that I don't know for sure," Wendy replied. She was about to cast the healing spell again but Carla stopped her.

"That's enough, you already wasted a great amount of your magical energy!" the cat said.

"Gajeel-san definitely needs to…" Wendy couldn't finish her sentence. She exclaimed happily and pointed at the injured mage.

Levy turned to look at Gajeel. For her immeasurable happiness, the black-haired Dragon Slayer has just opened his eyes.

-ooo-

Gajeel regained consciousness and tried to remember what had happened to him but that wasn't so easy. He strained his memory and the events began slowly coming to his mind: the moment when he had left Fairy Tail, the night when he had met his former master and the fight with him… How was the fight finished? The last thing he remembered was that Jose's shades had released him from their deadly embrace and he had seen a dark human figure standing in front of him… The unexpected interference of this person, whoever it had been, had prevented Jose from killing him. After that he had lost consciousness.

What had happened next? He didn't know.

And more importantly, what was going on with him _now_? Where was he?

It took him a great effort to open his eyes. His vision cleared up and he cast a glance around. Strangely, the furniture was somehow familiar to him… His eyes widened in surprise when he realized that he was in the guild hall… the hall of the Fairy Tail guild that he had left forever (as he had thought).

At the first moment Gajeel didn't believe what he saw.

"That's not possible! What am I doing here?" he wondered.

Did it mean that everything had been a dream… or more preciously, a nightmare? Had he never left the Fairy Tail guild?

He tried to stand up but a sharp pain in his entire body prevented him from doing that. The pain was evidence that he hadn't dreamed; he had really left the guild and had fought with Jose Porla.

Two blue-haired girls rushed towards him and hugged him.

"Thank goodness, you are awake! Juvia is so glad! She was so worried about you!" the first one said all in a breath. "How do you feel?"

But Gajeel didn't answer; his attention was focused on the second girl who hugged him without saying a single word. He pulled her closer, inhaling her smell. Yes, there was no mistake; it was Levy MacGarden and none other. He could doubt if what he was seeing was real but he couldn't mistrust his nose.

It didn't even come to his head to ask her how it was possible for her to be alive. She was here; that was enough for him. Nothing else mattered.

"Only if I knew that she is alive… Oh, only if I had known it, everything would have gone in a different way…" he thought.

Levy drew a little aside and looked at him. No words were necessary for their communication.

Juvia's voice broke the silence.

"Did our former master really want to kill you?" the rain woman asked. She still couldn't believe it and wanted to hear a confirmation from Gajeel himself.

"Yes, he would definitely finish me if the fight hadn't been interrupted…"

"Interrupted? But who interrupted it? Who…?" Lucy asked quickly. Her curiosity continued torturing her.

The black-haired Dragon Slayer looked askance at her. "I have no idea. I saw a human silhouette for a split second… and I remember nothing more."

Lucy sighed heavily. Obviously that mystery would never be solved. The only one who could answer her question was Jose Porla himself but she couldn't ask him, of course. She had no choice but to resign with that thought.

Master Makarov was also blank. He knew very well that Jose Porla was one of the most powerful wizards in Fiore. Who could have been able to save Gajeel from him? A supposition flashed across his mind but he discarded it. "Is it possible… no, it can't be. What am I imagining! There is no way Laxus to have something to do with this," he thought.

Levy was disappointed that she didn't know whom she should thank for saving Gajeel's life. "Well, maybe this person has some reason to want nobody to know that he has saved Gajeel… just as Jellal asked me to keep a secret that he helped me," she said in her mind.

Natsu remained silent. He who knew the truth but it would be better to keep it secret. No one would believe that Gajeel owed his life to Laxus.

"You better tell me why I am here," the injured mage demanded after a few seconds silence.

"It seems that you have been brought to Porlyusica's home. Cana revealed your location through her Card magic and we brought you back to the guild," Erza explained laconically. She gave the others a sign to mention nothing about Totomaru and Aria. It would be better to not trouble Gajeel anymore.

"What matter now is that you are alive and here!" Levy said. "You can't imagine what I endured when I understood that you have left the guild because of me!"

The Iron Dragon Slayer bit his lips. Despite the loss of blood, his face became dark red of shame. While he had been thinking that she was dead, he had been blaming himself for not telling his true feelings to her. But now, seeing her alive, he felt again his previous impossibility to confess his love for her.

"How do you know that I have left the guild because of you?" he asked.

"I read the letter you have left before leaving," she explained.

Gajeel gnashed his teeth and knitted his eyebrows. "Who is that idiot who has given her the letter?" he thought.

He couldn't stop himself from asking that question.

"Who gave this letter to you, Levy? Tell me, I want to know!" he said through clenched teeth. His eyes sparkled and his voice was trembling with rage. Of course, that rage was directed not to Levy but to the person who had given her the letter. His expression was so fierce that Juvia drew herself aside.

Now Natsu's face blushed so hard that its colour resembled that of Erza's hair. When he had given the list of paper to Levy (1), he hadn't thought that Gajeel might disapprove it.

The Iron Dragon Slayer noticed Natsu's blushing and guessed what the reason for it was.

"Wait, don't tell me, and let me guess… It was you, Salamander, right?" he asked angrily, looking at the fire mage. "How could you do this? Why don't you mind your own business? You idiot… You brainless fire trash!" he shouted. The irritation gave him strength to jump on his feet and he directed his blow at Natsu. The pink-haired boy answered him with his Fire Dragon's Roar attack.

"Calm down both of you! Please calm down!" Mirajane yelled but no one paid any attention to her.

"Leave them," Erza said. "They are fighting, which means that everything is as usual already!"

The end

-ooo-

(1) Indeed it was Natsu who gave her the letter (see chapter 12).

**I would like to thank everyone who read this story and especially the people who sent me revi****ews!**

**Please let me ****know your opinion for the story.**


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